Scottish Champion Susan Hughes has started an impressive climb up the world rankings following a great start to the new season.

Having shrugged off a difficult Olympic year, the 26-year-old has reached the final of the Belgian and Bulgarian Opens and was a semi-finalist the Czech International and is now up at No34 in the world.

In Bulgaria, Hughes battled all the way to reach the final, but was eventually edged out by world number 19 and the local favourite, Petya Nedelcheva, by 21-11 21-15.

The next challenge will be the biggest test of her stiff, summer training regime. Later this month, she will join all the world’s best players for the Denmark Super Series.

In the men’s doubles in Bulgaria, Andrew Bowman and his Welsh partner Martyn Lewis reached the quarter final stage.

In the men’s singles, Craig Goddard was beaten in a close first round match 21-15 21-19 by Russian, Vladimir Malkov, while Watson Briggs and Jillie Copper made it to the second round of the mixed.