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ndonesian favorites Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir defended their mixed doubles title in the 2012 India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi after outclassing Thailand’s Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam in a rubber match on Sunday.

Liliyana said that Sunday’s final bout against Prapakamol–Thoungthongkam was one of the hardest for her and Tontowi, as the Thais were in top form.

“They are players that have solid attacks,” Liliyana said after the match at Siri Fort Indoor Stadium in New Delhi as quoted by the Indonesian Badminton Association’s (PBSI) website.

The fight started right away when the opening game began. The 2012 All England champs excelled, however, by stopping the Thai pair 21-16 to build a solid foundation for the title.

In the second game, fifth-seeded Prapakamol–Thoungthongkam upped the pressure on the favorites, leaving the Indonesians behind at 16-8 before finally sealing the game 21-12.

“In the second game, we were behind and the [point] distance was quite far. We found it hard to return to our playing style because we weren’t as fit as in the first game,” Liliyana said.

Facing a rubber game, second-seeded Tontowi–Liliyana refused to surrender. In the third game, they moved along with the fast-paced play that the Thai pair offered before the Indonesians eventually ended with a virtuoso close at 21-14.

“Tontowi’s upbeat playing increased our confidence, so we could overpass them immediately,” said Liliyana.

Overall, Tontowi–Liliyana produced a superb 26-winning smash, while Prapakamol–Thoungthongkam made six.

The India Open trophy is the third victory for the Indonesians this year, following their surprising triumphs in the All England and Swiss Open.

In other courts, sixth-seeded Kyung Eun-jeung–Ha Na-kim of South Korea brought home the women’s doubles title after trouncing China’s Yixin Bao–Qianxin Zhong 21-17, 21-18.

Second-seeded Xuerui Li of China beat sixth-seeded Juliane Schenk to win the women’s singles.

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia was unexpectedly upset 21-18, 14-21, 21-19 by nonseeded Wan Ho-shon of South Korea.

Later in the day, second-seeded Sung Hyun-ko–Yeon Seong-yoo of South Korea were scheduled to meet Bodin Issara–Maneepong Jongjit of Thailand.