BADMINTON player Jo Wright hopes to break on to world professional circuit following her notable triumph in the US Open Championships in Orange county, near Los Angeles, recently.

Jo, aged 22, who lives on Valley Drive in Kendal, is already an England international, but the outstanding ladies doubles victory with her Bedford-based partner Gails Emma will have propelled them about 10 places up the world rankings.

"Our main objective this season in to try and get selected for the World Championships in Spain next May, " she said.

"It was the best win we've ever had," said Jo, who has been an England junior champion at age levels from 11 to 18, and spends much of the week in full-training thanks to a lottery grant at the national badminton centre at Milton Keynes.

"We spent all summer training for this tournament and we're hoping to use it as a stepping-stone to having a really good season and getting some good wins under our belt."

Originally from Southport, Jo's parents were both keen club players and she took up the sport at the age of seven, pushing the sofa into the middle of the room to use as an improvised net to play with her brother.

From there, she went on to represent Merseyside and England and she she won the European Junior Championships for two years running.

Since stepping up the senior level in 1997, Jo has earned four senior international caps.

Her US Open win with her partner came as number one seeds over fellow England pairing Emma Chaffin and Suzanne Wrayappan 15-7, 15-1.

Jo moved to Kendal last October and she works locally at weekend as a waitress at the Georgian House in Highgate.