Adcock eyeing All England badminton success

Chris Adcock insists another Super Series victory is not out of the question as together with partner Gabby he aims to replicate the success on home turf at this week's Yonex All England Badminton Championships.

Last November the husband-and-wife duo became the second-ever English pairing to win a Super Series tournament after emerging on top in Hong Kong.

They beat World No.1s and London 2012 gold medallists Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei on their way to the final – and the Chinese duo will have revenge on their minds at the All England.

The two pairs could meet each other in the quarter-finals of the tournament, which takes place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham starting tomorrow.

Adcock admits he holds many memories of watching his childhood heroes at the All England Championships and is determined to make many more of his own – despite the challenge on his hands.

“I always remember going as a kid to watch and we want to achieve a minimum of a quarter-final,” he said.

“The All England is a great tournament to be involved in and we want to make sure we put ourselves in a position to play and perform to our best.

“And who knows, with the crowd behind us we could have another Hong Kong on our hands.”

The mixed doubles is not the only event Adcock will be gunning for at the All England as he and men’s partner Andy Ellis also tackle the main draw.

The second round could prove a stumbling block – former All England, world and Olympic champion Cai Yun a potential opponent.

The English pair clinched the English National Badminton Championships title earlier this month and though Adcock knows it will be a far sterner test this time around, he insists their form is ticking along nicely.

“Andy was great at the nationals and hopefully we can step up and play well at a world-class standard at the All England,” Adcock added.

“The nationals were one of those awkward ones because we have much bigger things in the year but obviously it was good for the public to see badminton played at the top level.”

© Sportsbeat 2014