Thuy Linh Vietnam Open: Badminton Victory & National Pride

On the evening of September 12, Thuy Linh participated in the quarterfinals of the Vietnam Open against her opponent Nithiitikrai (Thailand).

Hai Dang was previously eliminated in the men’s squeeze, while Dinh Hoang – Dinh Manh also fell out in the men’s doubles. Thuy Linh thus became the last hope of the Vietnamese badminton at this year’s tournament.

This should have been an easy game for the home player, since she is 18th on the world ranking and her opponent 80th. But that convenience only came in set 1, when Thuy Linh convincingly won 21-10.

In set 2 the Vietnamese badmintonster suddenly collapsed. She made many unfortunate mistakes and constantly lost points.

Nithiitikrai also had a concentrated set, often with dropshots on difficult positions. This time it was the Thai player’s turn to win 21-13.

At the start of set 3, Thuy Linh continued to have difficulty with inaccurate strokes. Even when Nithiitikrai was tired, the Vietnamese lady could not easily compete.

Thuy Linh led 10-5 for a while, but then let her opponent come closer with a score of 15-18, 17-19. There was even a situation in which she was indecisive and did not complete strongly, and Nithiitikrai just waited to go into the counterattack.

But in the end the Thai player admitted with a self -hit ball in the net. Thuy Linh won the third set 21-18 and thus qualified for the semi-final of the Vietnam Open 2025.

She has come closer to winning the tournament for the fourth time in a row. Thuy Linh’s next opponent is the Korean player Kim Min Ji.