****Image Credit: Djarum Badminton
Asian shuttlers walked away with all the three doubles titles at stake – the men's doubles, the women's doubles and the mixed doubles – in the USD150,000 Barcelona Spain Masters which ended on Sunday.
Chinese Taipei's new combination Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin was the surprise package at the Vall d'Hebron Olympic Sports Centre as the fifth seeds wiped out Europe's challenge in the men's doubles.
The duo played with different partners until the end of last year and was playing in their first tournament together.
And what a delight the pair dished out in the HSBC BWF Worlds Tour Super 300 tournament.
In the quarter-finals, Lee Yang-Chi Lin smashed past the famed and experienced Danish pair and top seeds Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in straight games 21-15, 21-15.
It boosted their confidence and morale and this was reflected in the semi-finals when they dumped another Danish challenge Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (thirds seeds) 21-16, 26-24 for a place in the final.
In the final, the Chinese Taipei pair continued their momentum and gave another polished display of attacking badminton for a 21-8, 23-21 win over Koreans Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae in 36 minutes to pocket USD11,850.
The losers took home USD5,700.
Koreans Kim So-yeong-Kong Hee-yong upstaged Japan's number two seeds Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida 23-21, 15-21, 21-17 in a 75-minute thriller to take the women's doubles title.
Korea also won the mixed doubles title with sixth seeds Seo Seung-jae-Chae YuJung pulling off an upset 21-18,21-15 win over second seeds Wang Chi Lin-Cheng Chi Ya in 40 minutes.
The men's and women's singles final was an all-Denmark affair.
Top seed Viktor Axelsen defeated third seed Anders Antonsen 21-14, 21-11 for the men's title while second seed Mia Blichfeldt outplayed Line Kjaersfeldt 21-14, 21-14 for the women's crown.
