Two storylines played out in the doubles contests yesterday in the title round of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020. One was the incredible clean sweep of all three Asian Leg titles by Wang Chi-Lin/Lee Yang and Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

The other, while not as momentous as this achievement, was a more intimate portrayal of grit in the face of adversity, the value of discipline and character while dealing with the vicissitudes of life on the court. Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan came through a severe trial, but their opponents Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong too could take pride in the way they handled that test of character.

It will be recorded that Kim and Kong had six match points in the second game. Until 20-17 things had gone swimmingly well for the TOYOTA Thailand Open champions. Lee and Shin simply dug in with no-frills badminton, giving nothing away; their stubborn resistance started to yield results, and soon it was one game apiece.

Fortunes turned, and the shift in energy was palpable. Lee and Shin had a bounce in their steps and zip in their smashes; Kim and Kong, perhaps reeling from having victory snatched right out of their hands, appeared crestfallen – and soon they were 1-7 down, the match slipping fast.

It needed another special effort from them to shut out that second game, to force themselves back to the present, and give themselves another shot at victory. They nearly pulled it off.

There were some titanic duels, every inch fought for, every point celebrated with a war cry. Shin Seung Chan made that last winning foray to the net and collapsed in exhilaration. Kong Hee Yong, the youngest of the four, took an eternity to get herself up from the court.

There were broad smiles and bitter tears, and perhaps some soul-searching by Kim and Kong on their six missed opportunities for the match in the second game. But if they had taken any of those six points, this epic wouldn’t have unfolded.

The other two results in doubles were impressive for the sheer physical effort involved. Wang Chi-Lin and Lee Yang and Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai’s third successive Super 1000-level title marked a special moment in badminton.

Wang and Lee had promised to use their power and speed against idols Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, and that’s how it worked out for the most part, for the Indonesians couldn’t be as sharp as they needed to be.

“We were nervous coming into the final here, we were playing our idols. I thought: ‘oh my god, oh my god.’ Three titles is incredible,” gushed Lee Yang.

The Asian Leg ended on a perfect note for hosts Thailand. Puavaranukroh and Taerattanachai’s unflagging physical intensity carried the day, as they wore down Korea’s Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yujung in three games.

“This is reward for nine months of hard work and dedication,” said Taerattanachai, as curtains closed down on the last event of the 2020 season.