By Duncan Mackay

Wang Xiaoli Yu Yang with All England title March 10 2013March 10 - Chinese pair Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli today won the women's doubles title at the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, seven months after their last visit to the country had ended with them being disqualified from London 2012 for throwing their matches and having their Olympic accreditations revoked.


The top-seeded pair followed their Super Series success at the Korean Open in January with a 21-18, 21-10 win over their compatriots Zhao Yunlei and Cheng Shu, a new partnership who had to fight their way through the qualification and an unseeded position in the draw.

Yu retired from the sport after the duo were one of four pairs disqualified from London 2012 for attempting to lose matches to get favourable draws but later changed her mind and is now glad she did after helping Wang regain the title they had last won in 2011.

It was the 13th time in 14 years that a Chinese pair had lifted this title and the defeat denied Zhao, who at London 2012 became the first player in history to win two Olympic gold medals in the same Games, with victory in the mixed and women's doubles, the opportunity of claiming her third All England title in five years, and her third with a different partner.

As well as Yu and Wang, two South Korean pairs and an Indonesian pair were thrown out of last summer's Games.

General view of the womens doubles final between Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China and Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei of China Birmingham March 10 2013General view of the all-Chinese women's doubles final between Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang and Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei

They were accused of wanting to lose, in an attempt to manipulate the draw for the knockout stage.

Earlier, it had been announced in Birmingham that one of the Indonesians disqualified, Greysia Polii, had been elected as a new member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Athletes' Commission. 

Yu claimed that she and Wang wanted to put the incident in London behind them and look to the future. 

"The unhappy memories belong to the past, but we chose to stay on the court anyway," she said.

"We are at a new starting point and will keep working for a better result."

Yu and Wang were one of three Chinese winners at the world's most prestigious annual badminton tournament, whose history stretches back to 1899. 

China's Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan, a new partnership who were unseeded and who completed an unexpected journey by beating Japan's Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hasagawa in the men's doubles with a 21-11, 21-9 victory. 

Chen Long of China celebrates winning the mens singles final after defeating Lee Chong Wei of MalaysiaChen Long of China celebrates winning the men's singles final after defeating Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia

Chen Long upset Malaysia's world number Lee Chong Wei, who was playing in his fifth consecutive final at this tournament, having won the title in 2011 and 2011, 21-17, 21-18 to win the men's title.

The women's singles proved an emotional occasion as Denmark's Tine Baun won her last match before retirement. 

The 33-year-old former world number one became the oldest All England champion in the Open era when she defeated an opponent who would have been the youngest champion as she outplayed 18-year-old Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand 21-14, 16-21, 21-10.

Tine Baun of Denmark celebrates with the trophy after defeating Intanon Ratchanok of Thailand in the final of the womens singlesDenmark's Tine Baun of Denmark celebrates with the trophy after defeating Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand in the final of the women's singles, the third time she has won the title

It was the third title of her career, having won it previously in 2008 and 2010 under her maiden name of Rasmussen.

"The first two titles were good but this one is extra special," said Baun. 

"This is a tournament that I always kept playing in.

"I love it here and I love my supporters, thank you."

A cleansweep of the doubles titles eluded China when defending champions and second seeds Tontowi Ahmad and Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia beat world and Olympic champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei 21-13 21-17.

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