SEOUL - Rising Chinese star Qiao Bin won the final round of the men's singles at the Badminton World Federation Korea Open Sunday after crushing South Korean veteran Son Wan-Ho.
Qiao Bin, currently world number 41, is a rising star in badminton
The 23-year-old unseeded player, currently world number 41 in men's singles, defeated the sixth seed, world number eight Son 21-11, 21-23, 21-7.
"I'm so thrilled. I have no words to express my feelings," Qiao said.
"I have learned my game by watching many of my seniors. First of all, I should mention Lin Dan and Chen Long as my models," he said, referring to two top Chinese players.
Sunday's game also saw South Korean superstar Lee Yong-Dae retire from international matches after winning the men's doubles with Yoo Yeon-Seong.
The duo staged an upset against China's Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen -- champions at last week's Yonex Open Japan -- 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 in a nail-biting 85-minute thriller.
"It was a difficult match...but I am glad that I was able to finish my international career with such a good game," Lee said after the match.
Lee, with 43 titles under his belt, is the second most successful Superseries badminton player after Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei.
The 28-year-old multiple Olympic medallist, including gold in mixed doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has been a poster boy of South Korean badminton and been widely popular in Asia.
In the women's tournament, Japanese seventh seed Akane Yamaguchi defeated South Korea's Sung Ji-Hyun 20-22, 21-15, 21-18.
South Korea dominated the doubles games, with Jung Kyung-Eun and Shin Seung-Chan beating China's Luo Ying and Luo Yu 21-13, 21-11 in women's doubles.
In mixed doubles, another South Korean pair Ko Sung-Hyun and Kim Ha-Na defeated China's Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen 21-14, 21-19.