Adcock and Bankier blast past world champions

IMOGEN Bankier and Chris Adcock got their New Year campaign off to a flying start in Seoul yesterday when they defeated world champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei in the first round of the mixed doubles at the Victor Korea Open.

Scotland’s Bankier and England’s Adcock, who are ranked 16th in the world, won 21-19, 21-16 after turning a 13-3 second-game deficit into a 14-13 lead.

The Chinese pair, who defeated Adcock and Bankier in the final of the Yonex BWF World Championships at Wembley in August, edged back in front at 16-15 before the British pair reeled off six points in a row to take victory in 39 minutes.

The win, their first in four meetings with Zhang and Zhao, will give Adcock and Bankier a big boost in their bid for Olympic qualification but in today’s second round they must face another Chinese pair, He Hanbin and Bao Yixin.

World No 18s Robert Blair and Gabby White, the second pair battling to represent Great Britain at London 2012, made a first-round exit against former world champions and sixth seeds Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Juhl, of Denmark. Scotland’s Blair and England’s White went down 21-13, 21-12.

England’s Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork won the first game of their first-round clash with Maneepong Jongjit and Savitree Amitapai before the Thai world No 21s hit back to take the next two games 21-17, 21-12 and repeat their Li Ning China Open win over the world No 23s.

Glasgow’s Susan Egelstaff returned to action yesterday for the first time since late November. The Scot, who had been recovering from a knee injury, faced Commonwealth champion Saina Nehwal for the fourth time and went down 21-5, 21-6 in just 24 minutes. Egelstaff is leading the women’s singles race for GB qualification at No 33 in the world, compared to England rival Elizabeth Cann’s No 54.

Two-time Scottish International men’s singles champion Rajiv Ouseph, ranked No 24 in the world, was celebrating yesterday after defeating former world and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat 21-19, 21-15 – his first victory over the world No 12 in three meetings.