Highlights Badminton

Welcome to Glasgow, the 20 17th Badminton championships. This then

you behind me posted badminton for the Commonwealth Games. Will it be a

happy hunting ground again. We will find out if Britain can end a barren

run. Kirsty Gilmore won Commonwealth silver here in 2014 and has pushed

for podium places. We will follow markers Ellis and Chris Langridge.

Chris Adcock and Gabby Adcock have regularly mixed with the best in the

world and bounce back with European gold and silver. All that to come.

He won a silver medal with the next event at the Commonwealth Games. But

this was about chasing individual success.

He made a strong start. In round two, Samir Verma was his opponent

but Rajiy Ouseph progressed with relative ease. That put him into

round three but it was a rather dubious reward for his success

because he was drawn against the Chinese legend Lin Dan. I'm joined

by Gail Emms. Lin Dan is pretty amazing, isn't he? Just a little

bit. The greatest of all time. Two Olympic titles, five World

Championship titles. He's the man to beat but he's 34 years old. Now is

the time to beat him. He has European gold, Rajiy Ouseph. He has

a chance. He has a chance. When he brings out his best game it is

beautiful to watch and many players struggle with that. Fingers crossed.

He also got married this year so will the -- will there be another

reason to celebrate? I would not have said that ten years

ago. At the age of 23, he is probably much quicker than at the

age of 33. Got to see a Ouseph and get off to a

good start and get some confidence. It is quite interesting that the

last time they met was five years ago and I think Ouseph has improved

considerably since then. Not only that, he's in the form of his life.

Winning that gold-medal at the European Championships, the first

engagement to do so, for 27 years. Since Darren Hall? Stephen Bagley.

In Moscow in 1990. He beat Darren Hall in the final. In my opinion, it

defines his career. If he doesn't win another match he still became

the European champion. This is the bonus, so to speak. Can go for the

big wins. Very good win yesterday. It was not an easy matter.

Men's singles is the only discipline in which they've not medals. They

wondered if he was able to please the British fans in Scotland. There

are a lot of fans that would love to see Lin Dan achieve even more. From

a Danish perspective, a lot of people cheering for Lin Dan. We saw

him stand on this side of the court. Proving he was controlling the

drift. I still need to take that as a wrong

call because I was thinking it would be much more in.

I suspect it is a little bit dangerous to lift to the forehand

side. It is his strongest point of attack, Lin Dan, it is also really

difficult to see what he's selecting when he's not attacking.

You can play it but you need to put pressure on Lin Dan. Like that, when

he's not able to leap in the air. I still think that one is dangerous.

One of the things I look for is the opponents's feet reacting. If they

are compensating then his deception has been effective.

There's another challenge here. So he doesn't have any challengers

left. Do you remember the Olympic bronze medal match? He was also out

of challengers there. A couple of occasions, he wanted a second

opinion. Good shot. Been covering the court well until

now, Ouseph. That was going out! Both players,

the indecision on the net short, but the anticipation, as soon as Lin Dan

turned, Ouseph was waiting for the drop shot. Look at his movement. A

solid start from Ouseph put him six points ahead and form would

continue. We pick up the action at game point.

Lin Dan found his form in the second and even though Ouseph was moving

well, the Olympic champion levelled the match. The momentum had firmly

shifted by the decider. Although Ouseph gave it his all, it was Lin

Dan who progressed and remained on course for a sixth world title.

It was 2003 the last time he lost prior to a quarterfinal stage. What

a brave fight by the European champion. I think I played the best

I've played for a long time but I could not sustain it so when you let

those guys have a sniff they take advantage of it. He got hold of the

game in the second set and imposed his game on the match. It was a

little bit too much. I mounted a comeback but I probably relax a

little bit. Quite difficult but there are still positives. Still

positives to gain from that. It was so close. That first set was

brilliant but he could not keep the momentum going. Lin Dan stepped it

up and he is a true champion. He's not going to want to finish, and

with the Commonwealth, is that a chance? He is going to give it a

great shot but it will be about the Commonwealth Games Gold Coast.

Winning through to the final, he secured his first medal since 2013.

He was up against Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, a man in career-best form.

Lin Dan had the experience but Viktor Axelsen had youth on his

site. He secured his first world title of his career by taking the

second set 21-16. I'm Marcus Ellis. And Chris Langridge. It is one of

the fastest sports in the world. Reaction speed is one of the biggest

assets. Officially it is faster than a Formula 1 car. Check shots are

part of any player's repertoire. Some players use them more than

others. Others do not use them at all. It is something I love to do to

get myself out of trouble. Last-ditch defence. It doesn't

always pay off. It is similar to tennis, when you

see them hitting the ball between their legs, you create check shots

yourself just to get back in the rally. We don't give names to them

but some people create special shots of their own. Chris Langridge and

Marcus Ellis. We will have more from them. Next it is the women's

singles. Kirsty Gilmour has many skills herself. She eased past Das.

It put her up against her Chinese opponent. Somebody who has made

massive improvements but it is not easy. You're always greater harm --

going to come up against a higher ranked opponent. It is really hard

to break into the world rankings. Impressive work. Bingjao in the next

round. She just needs to be consistent. She's just got to go for

it. Gilmour may have been the underdog but she would control the

opening game against Bingjao. It was a complete reversal in the second.

The world junior champion battled back and levelled the match. Decider

would be needed. There was little to separate the pair. Neither made a

convincing case for victory. It was definitely not the most

difficult shot she has played in that rally but sometimes when you

start to get tired, you forget focus on the simpler shots and you make a

mistake. Great finish from Kirsty Gilmour.

She seemed to slice across it, almost. I've noticed in past matches

she hit this and that was exactly what the coaches were asking her to

do, a variety of shots. She's followed that plan very well. I like

how she looks confident hitting crosscourt. It opens up. She works

so hard out of that. She was unrelenting from then on and

showed no signs of discomfort. We rejoin the action with the Scot in a

commanding position. Now six points behind and facing match point.

Incredible result, this should be from Kirsty Gilmour. The home crowds

clapping in anticipation of what might be.

Four match to save... It is not to be. Look at what it means for Kirsty

Gilmour. Tears from the Scottish number one. What a performance.

Tears of joy, of course. Incredible for Kirsty Gilmour. She takes a spot

in the quarterfinals at the World Championships. Speechless, doesn't

happen very often. This is so positive for me, I stuck to the

plan, I'm so happy. A tough draw meant it would be Nehwal. Does it

surprise you, because she has had her injury problems? That was the

best I've ever seen her play. I was gobsmacked. It was really deserved.

I was really proud of her. Fingers crossed that she can maintain it. It

doesn't get any easier, this is a tough draw. It is. She is up against

Nehwal, India's superstar. She must be so confident. To have that result

behind her, to go into this match, she's got nothing to lose. She will

have a home support. Let's see how she gets on. Good variation. She has

game point. Former world number one. She's come

through the opening game. Gilmour produced some of the best player of

the tournament in the second. We rejoin with the Scot 14-11 up.

Perfect from Gilmour. Really opening up the court.

Great shot again. Kirsty Gilmour knows it as she opens up the court.

That did the damage. She is playing relaxed and using softer shots in

addition to that, she's making use of it.

She's a powerful player, Kirsty Gilmour, and covers the court so

well. No reason why she cannot get the attack straight from the

beginning. She's found her range. She's not using full power. She

plays it may be 80% or something like that.

It is tough for Nehwal, needing six of the next eight points to stay

with Gilmour. Really making Nehwal move in all

four corners of the court. It has gone wrong. She lost that point but

a very well constructive rally from Gilmour.

Good drop shot from town-3-mac. Gilmour on her knees but recovers

quickly. Great rally from Nehwal. Gives her the confidence to maintain

the pressure on Nehwal. Taking Nehwal by surprise. It is

game point for Gilmour. That might have been going wide. Nehwal taking

no chances. Great net shot. Good technique.

Gilmour really needs to stay composed and finish this game off. I

fear for her if she allows Nehwal to get back. Her experience might shine

through. She has done it. Sadly, fatigue began to have an impact.

Six points away from a medal. The margins are so fine. If I had just

found the extroverts. Overall, disappointment tinged with some

happiness, I guess. You must take so much from pushing a quality player

like that. Did the crowd lift you as well? 100%. When you've had a

mammoth rally, and they are like, you can do it, a little bit of

reinforcement that I saw seldom get. To hear these voices in the crowd,

so on your side, it is the best feeling. Understandably, mixed

feelings. And truly gutted. Especially after her last 16 win,

which was amazing. She was so confident going into this match but

it wasn't happening. She's made massive progress. It is important

for Scotland to have a player like her to get behind. Kirsty is

Scotland's Golden player at the moment. She really is. She's

embracing everything, learning all the time, improving all the time.

She can keep going. She's on the track. The singles final would be

historic, Pusarla was chasing her first ever gold. Okuhara was looking

to enter Japan's 40-year run without a world title in the sport. It

turned into an epic encounter with both players left exhausted as the

match went into a third game. Okuhara had the greater stamina,

urging her arrival -- getting her rival. The doubles event featured

Walker and Smith. They made it through the first round but lost in

the second. The final was contested between

china's world junior champions, and the surprise package Fukushima and

Hirota of Japan. It went to three, but it was China who took the title.

History was made at Rio 2016 as Langridge and relish delivered the

first UK badminton medal in a number of years. But then came the Deva

tasting news -- devastating news that funding was going to be cut.

After Rio there was a big hype for a while. I didn't know how the dust

was going to settle. I wasn't expecting to be driving around in

Ferraris and my life to change significantly. We got to Christmas

and it was a kick in the teeth. We felt we were not going to get an

increase in funding or anything, but it feels like everyone else has

suffered as well. It has been hard to take, so it's taken us and some

of the other players a while to adjust. It's disappointing but we

are just about at the point now where we are adjusting to the way

things are now running, and the new setup we have. If I am brutally

honest, I think even if we won four golds, UK sport would say,

congratulations but we are not interested. That's because their

mindset, I feel, is that they look at certain sports that are pen and

paper with regards how quick you can do this. That are quick to analyse.

You cannot analyse badminton. You just can't. I have stopped thinking

about UK Sport. I don't think they will help us at all. I want to enjoy

playing and give my best and perform. If I perform well, I know

success will follow. I want to play and enjoy it, and obviously I want

to win. If we are playing well, literally anything is possible. This

must have been so tough to take, because it was your success with

Nick Robertson in 2004 that brought in a lot of UK Sport in the first

place. It does hurt, especially as an ex-player. Something you love and

you put so much time and energy into, your heart and soul. It is

like a punch in the stomach when the powers above don't believe in the

same things you did. We are going to keep fighting and hopefully bring in

some more results and convince UK Sport otherwise. What more can they

do? The players felt they had done everything possible. We have to keep

putting our case in and hope that a few more results here or dare, a

successful World Championships, might put the case a bit higher for

them. A medal from Langridge and Ellis would certainly help. Let's

see how they got on. They had a bye in an opening round and an energetic

performance in the second. They overcame the Danish duo. That put

them into the third round, and a tie with the unseeded South Korean pair.

Langridge and Ellis made a sluggish start to this one, and found

themselves a game down, with the Koreans taking the opening. They

were much better in the second, though. We join them with Langridge

and Ellis serving. COMMENTATOR: England get away with

the miscommunication. A little help from the net cord. They have been

making their own luck by trying to take them at the net more in this

second game. They have earned themselves a game point. Marcus

Ellis still with the serve. What a shame for Langridge. They are

looking more confident. It was a perfect change of pace, the soft

shot here. Almost a winner, very, very good. I think maybe he loses

focus because he thinks it's a winner and forgets to keep on

playing. Well retrieved. Chris Langridge can't forget round 16 of

the World Championships. It's not over until that shuttle hits the

floor. Confident defending from Marcus

Ellis. The Koreans still on the attack. Another miss from Chris

Langridge at the net. Much better movement and aggression

from the Koreans now that they are facing a game point and there's

nothing to be worried about any more, not because I think they are

running around being worried, but they seem to release some energy

when you know you have almost lost the game. A terrific forehand drive

from Chung a sock. Two game saved. Ellis and Langridge need to try to

stay calm. Keep playing the way they've been playing.

Little to choose between them in the early stages of the decider, we join

at 4-4, with Ellis serving. COMMENTATOR: A diving defence from

Chris Langridge. Disappointing, but surely you can't complain. Ellis

almost caught with the slower drop. Out of position, and that almost

came over. This time, Chris Langridge stranded

at net. Taking one of the tapes. Choosing not to get involved and

hope his partner Marcus Ellis was able to get back into a neutral

position. Not to be. Some very fine attacking once more from this Korean

pair. This time, the forecourt play from

Marcus Ellis is effective. Good in stick to block to the net off the

body from Marcus Ellis. England under some pressure at the

moment. The momentum with the Koreans. Getting quite a lot of

winners over the last five points. Chung and Kim maintained their

dominance in the decider from that point. We rejoin at match point,

with Langridge and Ellis 20-15 down. Look what it means to the pair from

career! They really did play with nothing to lose. What a performance

from them. We made too many mistakes, unforced errors, forced

it. The return of serve quite poor. You can't sum it up, to be honest.

No disrespect to them. They are a good pair, but we shouldn't lose,

really. We know how to play, and at times, we were playing the right

way. At times, we got drawn in. They are solid, but you put all that work

in, you give it all you can and you don't perform on the day... It's

tough to take. Credit to them, maybe, as well. Far, far from the

result that Langridge and Ellis were hoping for in that. What went wrong?

Is they're just too much pressure and too much going on in their

minds? There was a lot of pressure on Chris Langridge. He is a new dad

as well, of twins, so not getting much sleep. But they want it so

well. Their bronze medal in Rio was not a fluke. They haven't had a good

year so confidence levels are bit low, but a win here would have

elevated them. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. How important are the

Commonwealth Games going to be next year for their partnership? They

want to get more medals and go to Tokyo as well. They need a really

good six months in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games, and if they

can get that title, that will set them up. Realistically, the way

things are looking, can they get that funding back? It's not looking

great, to be sure. It's one of those situations where all the players can

do is go out there and try their best. When the medals come in, they

can put their case. What else can they do? The men's doubles final saw

the Chinese pairing take on the Indonesians. The Chinese were

unrelenting. Their attacking play saw them take the first and the

second game. Gold for the Chinese duo. One more medals chance for

England in this championship, and it comes in the form of Chris and Gabby

Adcock. Super excited to get back to

Glasgow. We went to the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and we have a good

record there. We've been training really, really hard and we feel in

good shape. Hopefully, that can transform on the court. It's really

exciting. We are currently fifth in the world and we have been in the

semis of most competitions this year. Hopefully we can get into the

medal places in Glasgow. UK Sport are not funding us any more. We

still want world and Olympic medals and we believe we can achieve them.

If we can do that without the backing of UK Sport, fantastic. We

want recognition for the sport, and we are on the way to doing that. It

was a massive kick in the teeth, but as athlete and support staff, we

will bounce back. We keep in touch with a lot of them still, which is

nice. We still want to perform. We still want medals, and that is not

going to change. We believe we can achieve that with or without the

help of UK Sport. The sport of badminton is growing hugely

worldwide. The prize money is going up, so it is really positive in

terms of world badminton. If you are performing to a good level at

tournaments, you will achieve decent prize money. We are not in it for

the prize money. If we were, we would have tried tennis along time

ago! The fifth seed had a buyer for the first round, and began their

campaign with a strong showing, beating the French pair. Although

not at their best in round three, they still had enough to ease past

the Japanese pair of Kazuno and Kurihara. They're in press of form

continued in the all-important quarterfinals. They secured at least

world bronze. The Adcocks didn't want to finish there. Standing in

their way of a place in the mixed double finals was the pairing of

Zeng and Chen of China. So a bronze medal at least secured. How

impressed were you with the way they performed? I was impressed with the

way they came back. The Hong Kong pair played really well in the first

set. To come back and refocus and think, we are better than this, that

is what I am impressed with. With the way the rankings were, we

expected them to come through this, but that first set did not throw

them. Every match is different, and sometimes sport doesn't go as

expected. If something doesn't go your way, it can really throw you,

nerds and pressure. But their experience is showing in every

single match. You have been in the situation where you have secured a

medal but you want to push it on further. How do you do that in the

semis? You know you can relax because you have a medal, but myself

and Nick Robinson, we always wanted more. We did our homework, went over

our tactics. They will be ready. As expected, the Chinese were strong

from the off, and the Adcocks had few answers as Zheng and Chen are

dominated. The English pair returned the fight in the second, though.

That's where we pick up the action. Chris' net shot allowed Chen

Qingchen to get her racket to the shot. Unable to control it over the

net. A great punch clear from Gabby

Adcock. Well played. That was out all day long.

The Adcocks with absolutely nothing to lose. They can afford to give

this everything. Don't hold anything back. It's great to see them playing

with confidence. They are still down in the second.

Gabby with the mess on the backhand. Chris Boufal with the easy push

mid-court. A big space. Zheng Siwei spotted it

and filled the gap quickly. Big smashes from Tianjin Chen as well.

-- Chen Qingchen. Very well played, Gabby. Much better

rally from the English. Adcock again taking on Chen at the

net. Chen Qingchen working so hard. Variation from Chris. He's looking

confident once more. The two very good short variations

from Chris Adcock. Great cross smash, Zheng Siwei

across the body. Great return from Gabby Adcock.

Found the backhand corner. Big, high lift again from Gabby

Adcock. A confident leave. Watched it all

the way. The Adcocks have got a chance in this match if they can

take them to three. I know that sounds obvious. Chris Adcock serving

18-19. He's gone wide! Chris, what are you doing?

Oh, my God. The umpire has called it in. That serve was wide, wasn't it?

Are clearly wide! UMPIRE: They called in. You didn't

challenge. Sorry, he confirmed that he calls out. He didn't say it,

but... Good umpiring in the end. In the meantime, it's match point

China. Chris might have just saved their

chances of making this third game. Well, Gabby Adcock with the flick

serve hide to Chen. Into the body. Chris Adcock has done it!

For the first time since very early in this third game, the Adcocks of

England have drawn level. Zheng Siwei doesn't look calm at all. Good

return of serve, Zheng Siwei. His partner Chen is followed up well,

straight down at Gabby Adcock. Huge amount of tension, and that's

just in the commentary box! Good technique, Zheng Siwei. The

backhand drives. Defence standing up so far. And he's done it again,

Chris Adcock! Amazing speed in this rally. Great entertainment. Well,

the English coaching staff needs to calm down. The Adcocks need to calm

down. I need to calm down! Gold and silver medal opportunity at stake.

Adcock's serve is punished by Chen Qingchen.

It's called out. Heartbreak for the English pair. It was the game we

were a bit disappointed by. We didn't go at them the way we should

have done. They were putting the pressure on. When we did, it was

successful. They really put the pressure on. Even though we were

coming off a loss... Its defeat today, but it's a World Championship

bronze medal, which is an incredible achievement. Definitely. We are

super proud of the medal. It's tough to talk because we believe we can do

more and we will come back next year trying to do more. The mixed doubles

final would be a true heavyweight battle, with the Adcocks' conquerors

against Lilliyana Natsir and Muhammad Ahmad from Indonesia. The

Indonesians forced a decider, and they swept to victory and their

first world gold together since 2013. There are a couple of other

BBC Sport programmes to let you know about this week. Full all focus

deadline day special is on Thursday. Confirmation it is a brilliant

bronze medal at the World Championships for the Adcocks. That

match was always going to be tough against the number one seeds. It was

always going to be tough, but that Chinese pair were world-class. I

always knew it was going to be very, very hard for the Adcocks to get

into that game. The Chinese pair dominated, and though it was a very

good second set, it wasn't enough. Is there anything more they could

have done? It's always easy to say after, and they could have attacked

better, but the Chinese pair didn't allow the Adcocks to attack. If you

can't do that, you will never get into the game. Bronze is still a

brilliant results, and the first medal at the championship since

2011. Is it going to give them a chance in terms of funding reprieve

and UK Sport? The reason badminton didn't get a title tarmac -- get

funding was because it was deemed that a lack of hope of a medal. We

have just got a medal. We will be keeping fingers and everything

crossed over the next few months. The next big event will be the

Commonwealth Games next year in the Gold Coast, Australia. But from us

in Glasgow, it's goodbye. The only one who could mess it up

was her. Success doesn't change you -

fame does. Her favourite saying was -

can I be me?