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Sweethearts Lin and Xie delight Hong Kong fans with victories in the singles
China's world number ones, Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang, are also sweethearts. Their standing as the first couple of world badminton was matched with deeds as they stormed to victory in the men's and women's singles finals respectively at the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open yesterday.
Lin lived up to his nickname of 'Super Dan', as he swept to his fourth consecutive Hong Kong Open crown with a 9-21, 21-15, 21-15 win over Malaysian Lee Chong Wei.
Girlfriend Xie dispatched compatriot Zhu Lin 21-19, 21-14 to win her second successive Hong Kong title.
If they return next year to defend their crowns, they may come back as Mr and Mrs Lin. But before marriage, the pair know they have some unfinished business - winning an Olympic gold medal.
Lin lost in the round of 32 in Athens at the 2004 Olympics, while Xie failed to make the singles team, being kept out by Zhang Ning and Zhou Mi, who now plays for Hong Kong.
'Both our goals are to win gold at the Olympic Games in Beijing next year,' smiled 26-year-old Xie. 'But the pressure will be on us, especially playing in front of our home fans.'
Lin, 24, agrees. But he also says there will be more pressure from the rest of the world, all hoping to stop the Chinese shuttle juggernaut on their home court next year.
'The standards are getting closer. In the past, China used to dominate easily, but this is no longer the case. In one way, it is good for the sport as fans can see some close matches,' said Lin.
It is not the first time that Lin and Xie have shared the limelight on finals day. At the 2006 world championships, they were both crowned winners  on the last day in Madrid.
Yesterday, they basked triumphantly in front of a partisan sell-out crowd at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai.
The fervent support of the 'home' fans is one of the biggest worries young pretenders like Lee face as they prepare to mount their assault on China's dominance in the sport.
'Playing in Hong Kong was just like playing at the China Open last week. The crowds and everyone else supports the China team. This is the biggest obstacle the rest of the world will face at the Olympics next year,' suggested Lee.
Snapping at Lin's heels - he is ranked world number two - Lee felt he was the victim of some dubious line calls during yesterday's enthralling encounter, which was peppered with high-quality rallies and a liberal sprinkling of stunning smashes.
Having won the first game quite comfortably, the Malaysian ace not only had to deal with a resurgent  Lin across the net, but also several dodgy decisions which went against him.
'All the calls go in favour of the Chinese players. A lot of points went in favour of Lin today. It was the same last week in Guangzhou when I lost in the final [to Bao Chunlai]. I just have to deal with it. I need to become mentally stronger before the Olympics,' said the Penang-born Lee.
But even in defeat, Lee discovered a silver lining. He said: 'It is 2-2 between us this year. I feel I'm getting better and I think I can challenge him. It is a lot closer now than before.
'China won't have it all their way in Beijing next year. They will face a lot of opposition from South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. We will make it difficult for them,' promised Lee.
Team China know that only too well. In Athens, in the men's singles, Indonesian Taufik Hidayat won the men's singles gold. China also failed to win the men's doubles gold. They won the three remaining titles - women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.
Next year in Beijing, China will hope to sweep all five golds in badminton and help topple the United States as the world's sporting superpower. But yesterday's results proved that it wouldn't be one-way traffic.
Apart from the singles successes of Lin and Xie yesterday, China also won the women's doubles title with Du Jing and Yu Yang beating compatriots Zhang Yawen and Wei Yili 2-1.
But the other two events went to Indonesia. Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir beat China's Zheng Bo and Gao Ling in the mixed doubles final, 2-1, while Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan beat countryman Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan, an Indonesian who now plays for the United States, in the men's doubles.
Neck and neck
The gap between China and the rest of the world has narrowed
Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei have been evenly matched in this year's meetings: 2-2



World number ones a winning pair