• Badminton World Championships

Remarkable British pair fight way into the final

Imogen Bankier and Chris Adcock could not believe their latest win © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: British pair stun fourth seeds to reach semis
  

The British pair of Imogen Bankier and Chris Adcock booked their place in the final of the mixed doubles at the Badminton World Championships with another fantastic performance on Saturday.

Despite their fairytale run in the competition the Anglo-Scottish pair undoubtedly came into their semi-final as underdogs against second-seeded pair Tantowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia, but they defied the odds to clinch a 21-16 21-19 victory that took 38 minutes.

"Yesteday [as they won in the quarterfinals] was one of the best days of my life and my career, and to forget about that and do even better today was absolutely fantastic," Adcock told Sky Sports afterwards. "I'm so lucky to play with her and every game she has been solid as a rock. She's kept me calmer than I usually am."

In front of a boisterous home crowd that included many of their family and friends, Bankier and Adcock got off to a quick start that immediately put their opponents on the bank foot. They opened up a 6-0 lead thanks to some sharp play from the backcourt by Adcock.

Ahmad and Natsir fought back in style, however, eventually edging ahead at 15-14 - before the British duo went on a run that culminated in clinching the first set.

The second stanza was a even more competitive, with some quite incredible net play from Bankier proving the difference in edging them ahead. However, having moved 19-14 ahead the pair seemed to freeze - perhaps struck by the enormity of the achievement they were on the verge of - but they eventually collected themselves to secure a memorable triumph.

As Ahmad flicked a final backhand wide all four players fell to the floor - but it was the British pair who were celebrating.

"We knew we had to dominate the net," the Scot acknowledged afterwards. "Today was just my day. Chris was phenomenal at the back. They were good, but it was our day today."

They will now pair the top seeds Nan Zhang and Yunlei Zhao in the final. They Chinese pair were handed an relatively comfortable passage after their opponents retired having lost the first set 21-17, with one of the pair suffering from an injury.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.