Showing all their world-class quality, the Adcocks took just 34 minutes to dispatch their Japanese rivals 21-15, 21-9 in their opening round fixture in Dubai.

Chris Adcock said: “We’re really happy with the performance and the result. It was a perfect start to the week for us. There are no easy games here so to win our first match so convincingly and in two straight games is more than what we could have hoped for.”

The first set remained close until the latter stages when England’s number one mixed pair took control, and closed it out with a six-point advantage.

The momentum continued into the second set as the Japanese duo failed to keep up with the relentless pace set by the Adcocks, who won six consecutive points to establish a clear winning margin.

It is the second time that GB Badminton’s leading mixed doubles pair have beaten Kazuno and Kurihara and backs up last year’s two-set win at the YONEX French Open.

Victory today is the perfect platform for the couple to build on as they bid to retain the title won so impressively last year.

The World Superseries Finals is the culmination of the year-long global series of world class badminton events and sees the top eight players/pairs on the planet compete for prestigious titles.

They will take on the fast-rising Chinese duo Siwei Zheng and Qingchen Chen in their second Group B encounter tomorrow (3pm British time).

Report courtesy of Badminton England

Chris and Gabby Adcock (Badminton Photo)

GB Badminton’s top mixed doubles pair, ranked eighth in the world, were crowned champions in 2015 beating Rio Olympic champions Lilyiana Natsir and Tontowi Ahmad and the world number one’s Ko and Kim en route to glory.

They have been placed in Group B this year alongside the Japanese world number 13 pair as well as fast-rising China duo Siwei Zheng and Qingchen Chen and two-time 2016 Superseries winners Kai Lu and Yaqiong Huang.

The Adcocks head to Dubai buoyed by their recent form having impressed in reaching the Denmark Open semi finals in October and finished the regular season with a quarter final in Hong Kong.  The hugely popular husband and wife duo are the only pair in Group B with past experience of the World Superseries Finals and go into their opening fixture holding a 1-0 win record over their Japanese rivals.

The World Superseries Finals is the culmination of the year-long global series of world class badminton events and sees the top eight players/pairs on the planet compete for prestigious titles.

The Adcocks know a strong run in Dubai this week, showcasing their own world class talents on the sport’s biggest stage, will propel elite badminton further into the sporting spotlight following a hugely successful summer in which GB badminton exceeded targets set by UK Sport.

Report courtesy of Badminton England