Lin Dan shuttles title away from Boonsak Ponsana

(BEIJING, June 29) -- Ranked number one in the world in badminton men's singles, Lin Dan of China came back from one game down to win the final against world No. 14 Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the SCG Thailand Grand Prix Gold 2008 on June 29 in Bangkok.

Lin won two of their last three clashes, including a 2-0 victory in the Thomas and Uber Cup in May. He went into the stadium on Sunday with high expectations from fans to win the title, even though many spectators had high hopes for a miracle from Ponsana.

In game one, Lin struggled to cope with the home crowd and couldn't stop Ponsana from scoring when he took the lead. After being tied at 17 points, Lin lost four straight points and handed the game to Ponsana. The Chinese shuttler only made four smash points and two net points in the entire first game.

After consulting with his coach, Lin started game two with a good 4-1 lead. Although Ponsana managed to tie the game at five, Lin gradually found his offensive touch and began to unleash the skills that got him to the top of the world's rankings. In this game, he made 10 smash points and never let his lead slip away. Winning at 21-15, he regained his momentum.

The deciding game was a duplicate of game two, as Lin gave Ponsana no chance after a 5-5 tie and won the game by eight points, taking the men's singles title in style.

The match lasted for almost an hour, Lin's longest in this tournament. His first game against Ponsana was only the second game "super Dan" conceded in Bangkok.