DOHA, Dec 14: Thailand's Danai Udomchoke upset Asian number one Lee Hyung Taik to clinch gold in the Asian Games men's singles tennis final on Thursday and score the biggest win of his career.

Udomchoke said winning for Thailand meant more to him than any victory in his short career, and he was proud of his performance.

“I am so happy because I was representing Thailand and that's special, it means a lot,” the 25-year-old said.

“I was hoping for bronze and I'm a little surprised because he is the Asian number one and I played him only a few weeks ago and lost.

“But I stuck to my game plan and it worked,” said the Thai who has risen steadily up the rankings this year to 104 in the world.

Top seed Lee, playing in his last Asian Games, revealed he had caught a cold after his semi-final match which hampered his performance.

“I caught a cold and I thought maybe I could not play but I did my best,” said the South Korean who played a pivatol role in winning gold for his country in the team event.

Team Korea decided against using cough medicine to fight Lee's fever, fearing a breach of doping regulations, a move that saw him instead take to the court with tiny medical patches stuck to his arms and legs.

Lee, ranked 49 in the world, had been hot favourite to win here after defending champion Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand pulled out during his first match with a wrist injury.

Both players struggled to hold serve early with Lee fighting through four deuces to draw level at 3-3, before Udomchoke finally scored the solitary break at 6-5 with some clever net play to take the first set.

The Thai broke again to love in the fourth game of the second, with a scorching passing shot as Lee's frustration mounted, kicking a ball into the crowd.

The 30-year-old South Korean tried a fightback but Thai held steady before breaking again and serving out the match.

Earlier, China's Zheng Jie and Yan Zi took gold in the women's doubles in straight sets, sounding a warning to their rivals ahead of their Australian Open defence next month.

The top seeds were pushed hard in the second set by Taiwan's Chan Yung Jan and Chuang Chia Jung before downing the fourth seeds 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).

The win caps a sensational year for the pair who have clinched six doubles titles including Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

Zheng also won gold in the women's singles on Wednesday, taking China's tally to two in tennis here after failing to win any at the last Games.—AFP