The world number seven duo defeated Indonesian Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Vita Marissa to clinch their victory by 23-21, 21-18. Gutta and Diju had a tough fight not only during the final match but also in the qualifying semi final, when they were against Malaysian Liu Ying Goh and Peng Soon Chan where they scored 21-11, 17-21, 24-22. The Indian team had lost against both these teams earlier.

According to Gutta, the atmosphere was tense during the final. “The final was a close match but we were more patient. The Indonesians were playing very well and it was a quality fare churned out by both the teams. We were trailing 9-13 and then 12-16 in the second game and there were long rallies in between. We kept our focus and backed ourselves to win the match.”

“We got our combination going throughout the tournament. There were moments when the chips were down but we fought back. The semi-final too was a close affair. We had lost to them in Asian Badminton Championships this year but we were better prepared this time,” she said.

The third seeded team had to battle injuries too during this final match. While Gutta had a stiff playing arm, Diju played despite a back strain. Though they had opted for resting and not attending last week's Macau Open, Diju admits that the victory would have been much more difficult if the match had gone through a decider round.

The victory at the Grand Prix Gold is also the first in this tournament by any Indian combination team. Further, this is their maiden Gold medal during their four year association.