Although she performed nowhere near her world ranking of No 45, Benesova kept the crowd interested with her red skirt, which she wore well below her waistline - a skirt no local player would be brave enough to wear.

The revealing outfit certainly drew no criticism from the crowd and the striking outfit was a perfect match for her slender figure, especially her very firm abdomen. A very curious, but out-of-shape, female reporter could not help ask for the secret of her sexy body. "I just eat everything," the Czech said with a laugh. "But I run and practise a lot. It works, at least for now," she said. Even Thai No 2 Suchanan conceded she was no match when it came to dressing. She even said she would love to try the skirt on, but no sponsor would offer a revealing outfit to her. - The Nation.

Rapatkorn kept in the dark

When Thai taekwondo exponent Rapatkorn Prasopsuk made it to the women's heavyweight final at the recent Asian Taekwondo Championships, none of her team-mates or coaches would tell her who she was to fight for the gold medal. Rapatkorn, a SEA Games gold medallist, started to worry. "The staff coaches and my team-mates kept their mouths shut," she said. "They did not tell me who my opponent in the final would be. All I knew was that she was a Chinese named Luo Wei. But I had no background about her.

"I just did my best and finally beat her. Shortly after the win, everyone came up to me, saying that the Chinese was actually the two-time consecutive Olympic champion. I could not believe my ears. Was this the reason they did not say anything about her? I think it was a good idea because if I knew that Luo was the Olympic champion, I might have buckled under the pressure and lost to her." - The Nation.

Singh tees off with Thai food

World No 4 golfer Vijay Singh, who loves Thai food, will now have a role in promoting Thai restaurants in the US. Surasak Riangkrul, director of the Thai Trade Centre in New York, has put Singh forward to present the "Thai Select" programme, which shows if Thai restaurants are up to standard. Surasak said the Thai government would not have to pay for one of the world's best golfers since privately-owned Thai restaurants in the US would take care of his costs.

Singh is a very famous man and having him as a presenter should help Thai restaurants become more acceptable overseas. Besides receiving a fee, the Fijian-born Indian golfer will be served a VIP menu and have his meals without charge.

Also, the restaurant owners plan to celebrate every time Singh wins a tournament. Thanks to Singh, Thai restaurants should soon gain a higher profile throughout the world. The only worry is if Singh loses his taste for Thai food. - The Nation.