Boonsak Ponsana had to be content with second best for the second year running after losing out in a three-set thriller to world No 1 Lin Dan of China in the men's singles final of the SCG Thailand Open Badminton Championships.

Having played second fiddle to China's Chen Hong in last year's final, the 26-year-old was consigned to the runner-up spot again after going down 21-17 15-21 13-21.    

At the teeming Nimibutr Indoor stadium, it looked as though Boonsak might be able to turn the tables on Lin, against whom he had a record of five losses with a lone win.

However, Lin proved too strong to coast to a predictable outcome. He walked away with US$ 9,000.

Boonsak said he was too tired to sustain the momentum after a strong start. "I was unable to match Lin's physical strength. I started feeling tired in the middle of the second game and he then took control of the play. It might have been different had I been in better physical condition," Boonsak said.

Chinese second seed Xie Zhong Bo and Zhang Ya Wen dethroned defending champions and their compatriots He Han Bin and Yu Yang in a thrilling 23-25 21-10 23-21 victory in the mixed doubles.

Top seed Xie Xing Fang, restored the order in the women's singles by ousting second seed Lu Lan 26-24 21-7.

Cai Yun and Fu Hai Feng and Yang Wei and Zhang Jie Wen extended China's dominance following their successes in the men's and women's doubles sections respectively.