They weren’t even supposed to be here.

Had fate worked differently, William Kryger Boe and Christian Faust Kjaer would have pulled out of TOYOTA Thailand Open 2025 after their first round match. Kjaer had twisted his left ankle in their 21-16 21-15 win over Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-nga and the Danes weren’t sure they could continue.

Luckily for them, physio Maria worked her magic and they never looked back – one barrier after another fell as they surged into their first Super 500 final. Before this week, they had never made it past the first round at five HSBC BWF World Tour events.

“It’s like a fairytale,” said Kjaer, still slightly wide-eyed at their achievement. “We joked all week that if we kept winning, we’d end up in the final and now we are. Wow, this is crazy.”

Their run has been as thrilling as it has been improbable. Against top-seeded Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, the world No.75s were electric – darting across the court, mixing bold net play with fearless smashes.

“We are only human but we read the game well and adjust quickly,” said Boe. “We talk a lot during matches and I think our communication is a real strength.”

Despite the injury scare, Kjaer has grown stronger with every match. “It’s still there a bit but in this atmosphere, you forget the pain,” he said. “Shout out to our physio – she has done an amazing job with my ankle and has been so important this week.”

They’ve jokingly dubbed their style “attacking, loving weapons-on style” – a chaotic yet calculated brand of badminton fuelled by youthful belief.

“We had a great training block back home,” Kjaer explained. “We’ve always believed our level was there and now we are proving it. We are young and confident, and hopefully one day we will take over as Denmark’s leading pair from Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.”

In a run few saw coming, they took down the tournament’s eighth, third and top seeded pairs.

Their final challenge? Malaysia’s Olympic bronze medallists and second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who beat them earlier this year.

“We lost to them at the Indonesia Masters,” Boe acknowledged, “but this is a different stage, and we’ve grown since then. It’s our biggest match ever, we just want to enjoy it.”

For now, they are living the dream – one fearless rally at a time.

“Maybe it’s written in the stars,” Kjaer said. “We will give everything again. Hopefully, people will tune in to watch.”

Senior compatriot Anders Antonsen later said he was energised watching Boe and Kjaer before his match against Lu Guang Zu, which he won 18-21 21-13 21-16.

“Amazing how the boys have done this week. Inspiring to see how they put it all on the line without any fear,” said Antonsen.

→ Results (Semifinals)

→ Order of play (Finals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“This boosts our confidence. There’ve been a lot of ups and downs this year and we’ve spent so much time discussing our game. I’m glad it didn’t go to waste.” – Pearly Tan after she and Thinaah Muralitaharan beat Rui Hirokami/Sayaka Hobara

“No pressure playing at home, only happiness. I play here once a year and it’s special. The people are out cheering for me. I will go all out in the final.” – Kunlavut Vitidsarn after his eighth straight win over Loh Kean Yew