Even before the senior national badminton championship had begun, Saina Nehwal was considered the runaway favourite. And the way the 17-year-old bulldozed her way through to the final, it looked like the summit clash would be a mere formality.

But then the pressure of winning the title at any cost she had lost the last two finals and a gutsy opponent in Aditi Mutatkar ensured that the encounter was not a mere stroll in the park for the top seed.

Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae brought South Korea a lone gold medal in the men's double of the Yonex Korea Badminton Open, where China dominated the competition.

Facing unexpected finalists Hwang Ji-man and Lee Jae-jin of South Korea, who ranked 30th in the world, in the final, the world's No. 5 South Korean duo out-dueled their compatriots with Jung's power smashing and Lee's smart net play, closing the game 21-16, 21-15 in 30 minutes to capture the trophy.