Badminton duo impress
Coach Pete Jeffrey believes there is still more to come from Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier.
Last Updated: 18/10/11 4:41pm
Coach Pete Jeffrey believes there is still more to come from Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier after their Yonex BWF World Championships exploits.
The mixed doubles pairing are the sole remaining British representatives at Wembley Arena this week after beating two seeded pairs en route to the quarter-finals.
Their career-best performances will mean they are likely to rise from their current world position of 20 - putting them in contention for Olympic qualification.
And Jeffrey admits his long-term hopes for Adcock and Bankier, who have only been playing together competitively since January, are bright.
Jeffrey said: "The Olympics is definitely a goal of theirs. Firstly they want to qualify and then they want to achieve.
"I have got high expectations for them and they have got high expectations for themselves.
"We are just pushing all the time, every opportunity, for them to get as good as they can as quickly as possible."
Adcock used to compete alongside girlfriend Gabby White with Bankier often playing with Robert Blair.
Explosive
However those partnerships have been swapped around and both moves have been successful with Blair and White ranked 29.
But it is Adcock and Bankier who have caught the attention and Jeffrey is pleased instincts were proved correct.
He said: "We felt their styles complemented each other very well. Chris is a very attacking, explosive player. The downside is he might make a few errors because he is taking chances but Imogen is a very solid player and sets him up well.
"We felt that combination would click and it did from their first tournament together in Bitburger when they got to the semi-finals and had match point against the pair that are now number one in the world.
"It has been a good decision to put them together."
Adcock and Bankier face a tough task as they return to court tonight to face fourth seeds Tao Jiaming and Qing Tian of China.
