Flying start for duo
Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier made a superb start to 2012 by beating Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei.
Last Updated: 04/01/12 1:15pm
Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier got their New Year campaign off to a flying start in Seoul when they defeated world champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei in the first round of the mixed doubles at the Victor Korea Open.
England's Adcock and Scotland's Bankier, who are No 16 in the world, won
21-19 21-16 after turning a 13-3 second-game deficit into the 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 duo reeled off six points in a row to take victory in 39 minutes.
The victory, 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 Thursday's second round they must face another Chinese pair, He Hanbin and Bao Yixin.
Frustration
There was more frustration for Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork, who 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.
World No 18s Robert Blair and Gabby White, the third pair battling to represent GB at London 2012, also made a first-round exit against former world champions and sixth seeds Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Juhl of Denmark. Blair and White went down 21-13 21-12.
Adcock's efforts in the mixed doubles took its toll in the men's doubles when he and Andrew Ellis went down 21-12 21-13 to Denmark's Mads Conrad-Petersen and Jonas Rasmussen.
Rajiv Ouseph was celebrating after defeating world and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat, toppling the Indonesian 21-19 21-15.
Drought
Ouseph dominated the first game against Taufik and took control of the match from 9-9 in the second to win on his first match point.
It gave him his first victory over Taufik in three meetings after two straight-game defeats.
Taufik had recently ended his title drought with a Christmas Day win at the Yonex-Sunrise Syed Modi Memorial India Open but Ouseph was too strong today for the world No.12.
In the second round Ouseph, who is up to No.24 in the world, will meet another Indonesian, eighth seed Simon Santoso.
