BEIJING, August 12, 2008 (AFP) - British veterans Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson won a three-game thriller Tuesday against China's champions to clinch a place in the quarter-finals of the Olympic badminton mixed doubles.

The Athens silver medallists produced a gritty comeback against China's second seeds Gao Ling and Zheng Bo to win 21-16, 16-21, 21-19.

With a capacity crowd roaring for China, the British pair appeared rattled in the second game, and were down 12-17 in the third, before winning seven points in a row as they finally edged in front for victory.

Robertson, who has just returned from ankle surgery that left him out of action for six weeks, said they never gave up hope of winning.

'If we thought we were finished we would have lost,' Robertson said.

'That's what the Chinese do so well against us, they fight when they're down, then come back.

'They never give us anythng, so it was fantastic to turn that on them for a change and come back from five points down in the third set.'

'It was probably the best eight or nine points we have played against one of the best pairs in the world,' said Robertson, who won the match with a precise overhead smash.

Robertson hinted the match might have been revenge for losing the gold medal match to Gao and her former partner in Athens.

'It might have meant a tiny bit more being Chinese in the first round in China,' he said.

'And the fact she beat us in the Olympic final four years ago might have given us a little bit more incentive, but it's the Olympics Games and all that,' said Emms.

Emms, who at 31 is retiring after these Games, said she was 'elated, relieved,' adding, 'I just want to get on with the next match now.'

The Chinese pair were considered strong candidates to take the title, as China gun for a clean sweep of all five badminton golds on home soil.

Robertson and Emms face South Korea's Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Yong Dae, who are one world ranking below the British on 10, on Thursday.