Big ranking boost for Olympic hopefuls Adcock and Bankier

By Sportsbeat staff

CHRIS Adcock and Imogen Bankier failed in their bid to reach the mixed doubles final at the Swiss Open - but they will still leave Basle with something just as precious.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN: Two from four will get the Team GB nod but will it be Imogen Bankier and Chris Adcock or Jenny Wallwork and Nathan Robertson

Adcock and Bankier are locked in a tense selection battle with British rivals Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork for the one available mixed doubles badminton place on Team GB at London 2012.

Whoever is ranked higher in early May will get the nod and Bankier and Wallwork, 14th at the start of the week, are now expected to edge closer to their career high ranking of 11 after leaving Switzerland with a big injection of 4,900 points from the Grand Prix Gold event.

In contrast Robertson and Wallwork, who lost to their British rivals in the first round, could fall from their previous position of 17th in the world rankings list.

Adcock and Bankier were beaten 21-19, 16-21, 21-13 by Indonesia's Yonex All England champions and top seeds Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in 52 minutes.

"It could have been better but they are an amazing pair and deserve to be in the final," said Bankier.