Amidst mounting excitement and suspense, it took three uncharacteristic errors at the net from World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei to hand unseeded Wan Ho Shon the men's title in the India Open badminton tournament here.
For 66 minutes, the large Sunday crowd at the Siri Fort Stadium witnessed a thrilling 21-18, 14-21, 21-19 triumph that not only brought the 23-year-old Korean his first Super Series title but also reinforced his qualification to the London Olympic Games.
The 17th-ranked Shon, who stunned second seed and former World No. 1 Peter Gade in the quarterfinals, confirmed a second Olympic spot for his country this week.
The ladies final, spread over 47 minutes, saw second seed Li Xuerui, the reigning All England and Asian champion, dash German Juliane Schenk's dream of a maiden super series title with a 14-21, 21-17, 21-8 triumph.
Nerves of steel
But, the day belonged to Shon, who showed nerves of steel to thwart a fighting Lee, who battled from a 13-18 deficit in the decider to lead 19-18.
Shon continued to play as if he had nothing to lose and gained a match point after the Malaysian twice dribbled into the net.
When Shon served for the match, an aggressive Lee netted his return to lose his first match to the Korean in five meetings.
The Malaysian, returning from a shoulder injury that forced him to forfeit the All-England final in March, gave all credit to Shon.
“He played exceptionally well. I tried my best but faltered on some crucial points,” said Lee.
Shon said, “I came prepared for the match and played freely. It was great to beat Lee (and Peter Gade) and qualify for the Olympics.”
From the start, Shon was not shy of engaging the World's top-ranked player in rallies. He was quick at the net, came up with some measured tosses and won the last five points to take the first game.
Raising the bar
In the second game, as expected, Lee raised the bar and led 7-1.
The game saw the Malaysian come up with a number of winners by unleashing his dreaded down-the-line jump-smashes. Shon could not match his famed rival's pace but did manage to make it 12-all by producing some well-executed half-smashes.
Lee's defensive strokes were not as effective but he managed to seize his chances by attacking with power.
Eventually, the top seed returned the favour by winning the last five points to force the contest into a decider.
Earlier, a fourth straight victory over Juliane helped Li add another title here after the 2010 Asian championship.
Juliane, the 2011 World championship bronze medallist, raced away with the opening game by forcing the Chinese into committing uncharacteristic errors. But thereafter, it was Xuerui all the way.
Turning it around
In the second game, Li stepped up the pace dramatically, controlled the net play superbly and jumped to an 8-0 lead. Backed by the crowd, Juliane rallied hard.
She managed to keep Xuerui away from the net and got her placements right on the forecourt to bridge the gap to 16-17 by winning five straight points.
Undeterred, Xuerui won four of the next five points to level the match.
In the decider, Xuerui broke away from 6-4 and enlarged the lead to 17-5 to leave Juliane way behind.
The results (finals):
Men: Singles: Wan Ho Shon (Kor) bt Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 21-18, 14-21, 21-19.
Doubles: Bodin Issara & Jongjit Maneepong (Tha) bt Sung Hyun Ko & Yean Seoung Yoo (Kor) 21-17, 14-21, 21-14.
Women: Singles: Li Xuerui (Chn) bt Juliane Schenk (Ger) 14-21, 21-17, 21-8.
Doubles: Kyung Eun Jung & Ha Na Kim (Kor) bt Yixin Bao & Qianxin Zhong (Chn) 21-17, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Tontowi Ahmad & Liliyana Natsir (Ina) bt Sudket Prapakamol & Saralee Thoungthongkam (Tha) 21-16, 12-21, 21-14.
