Badminton Analysis- Denmark Open

Sudket and Saralee's Fairytale Run

If you're drawn to meet the first seeds and reigning world champions in the first round, what do you usually do? Run, or lose humiliatingly. In the case of Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thounthongkam, an unseeded Mixed Doubles pair, who met first seeds and reigning world champs Lilyana Natsir and Nova Widianto, they stood up and fought valiantly. It worked - they won in two straightforward sets. Truth is stranger than fiction. If the results were reversed, it seemed more likely. The results looked like a standard Lin Dan vs. Unknown scorecard.

Today they met sixth seeds Anthony Clark and Donna Kellog, who are playing at one of their favourite locations - in Europe. Again, the odds were stacked against Sudket and Saralee. Everyone would have hoped for a triumph, but many were also not so optimistic. But, as true fighters do, they didn't give up. They stood their ground and fought. Again, it worked. They completely trashed Clark and Kellog, as though they themselves were much more experienced, which in fact was the other way round.

With such strong results under their belt, it is a matter of time before they burst into the top 10, then top 3 positions. They appear to be prepared to lead Thailand once again, into the exclusive club of badminton powerhouses. And with such strong results and upsets in mind, they will be bursting with confidence as they face another English pair, third seeds Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms, who will be out to avenge their teammate's humiliation. All the best to this terrific and dynamic pair and trust me, they will go far.