Unseeded Japanese Hidetaka Yamada was a winner and loser in the Auckland International at Badminton Hall yesterday.
In a whistlestop visit, Yamada, ranked No 4 in Japan, flew in for the on Thursday and returns home today.
He takes with him some vital ranking points in his chase for aplace in the Japanese team for next year's Olympics after beating New Zealand No 1 Geoff Bellingham in straight sets.
With an ounce of luck he could have won a new car as well.
In a competition at the conclusion of the tournament, six players and six spectators were challenged to hit a shuttle into the half-closed window of a new car.
Yamada, the second to have that chance, missed by a whisker - the closest anyone came to driving away the $25,000 prize.
In the real action, Yamada beat second seed Bertrand Gallet, of France, in the semifinals - the only match in which he was taken to three sets.
Bellingham, top-seeded on the basis of his world ranking, also got through with the loss of only one set.
New Zealand had representatives in all finals - no mean feat in the strongest international field seen here - but claimed only one title when unseeded Rhona Robertson beat fourth seed Rebecca Gordon 11-2 11-3 in a one-sided all-New Zealand women's singles final.
Defending champions Sarah Runesten, of Denmark, and New Zealander Larissa Kishore upset second seeds Rayoni Head and Kate Wilson-Smith, of Australia, in the women's doubles semifinals but lost the final 6-15, 6-15 to the top seeds, Australians Rhonda Cator and Amanda Hardy.
Hardy claimed a second title when she and David Bamford beat unseeded Kiwis Dan Shirley and Renee Flavell in straight sets.
Flavell had earlier won the Auckland under-21 singles - beating Rachel Hindley - and doubles with Hindley without dropping a set.
