World No 1 badminton player Lin Dan of China defeated Malaysia's Wong Choong Hann in straight sets to claim the men's singles title at the recently ended China Masters in Chengdu, Southwest China.

Lin Dan (left) and Xie Xingfang

Less than an hour later, with Lin cheering from the stands, his girlfriend Xie Xingfang, ranked world No 2, triumphed in an all-Chinese final, beating veteran and Olympic champion Zhang Ning to take the women's crown at the same event.

The noted badminton couple has had its fair share of simultaneous success stories. They also both won at the All-England Open in March, with Lin delighting fans by giving Xie a kiss near the podium when she received her trophy.

The kiss, watched by millions of Chinese fans on TV, spurred much national interest as Chinese athletes usually conceal their affections for each other in public.

Their romance has added some color to China's normally rigid and uninspiring sports training system and made them popular among fans.

Xie, 26, said they were a perfect match off the court, but had not yet hit their prime on the court.

"Both of us are very good players and we have come up together," she said after the All-England victory.

"We have many opportunities to duplicate what we did today," she added after the Chengdu win.

Both are favored to defend their World Championship titles next month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But the bigger prize for Chinese athletes must surely be an Olympic win at home next year in Beijing. For the loved-up couple, a double win would be even better.

Indonesian couple Susi Susanti and Allan Budi Kusuma already managed the feat at the 1992 Barcelona Games, when badminton made its Olympic debut, but it looks like it may be China's turn next summer.

"Winning at the 2008 Games is a dream, and winning together with Lin would be amazing," Xie said.

The couple, however, is still haunted by memories of their respective Athens campaigns, when Xie failed to make the Olympic team and Lin crashed out of the first round.

Now Lin is looking more confident as he strides towards the Games, especially after winning the Chengdu event, an Olympic qualifier. Xie meanwhile has built a psychological edge over local rival Zhang, herself a major title contender for Beijing.