Ranked 23rd in the world, Thuy Linh was unseeded in the women’s singles at the 2026 Badminton India Open, a BWF World Tour Super 750 event which runs until January 18.
In the first round of women’s singles this afternoon, January 14, Thùy Linh will face local player Pusarla V. Sindhu, 12th in the world. The Indian is a former world champion (2019), gold medalist at the 2016 Olympic Games and bronze at the 2020 Olympic Games.
In this match, Pusarla V. Sindhu started better, even leading 11-4 at the start of the first set. Thuy Linh then tried his best, but still lost 20-22.
Then, the Vietnamese number one delivered an exceptional performance in the middle of the second set. Trailing 11-9, Thuy Linh strung together five consecutive points to take a 16-9 advantage before winning 21-12.
In the decisive third set, the two players engaged in a fierce battle, constantly competing for each other’s point. But at the end of the set, Thuy Linh showed remarkable composure. The player born in 1997 took the advantage 15-13, then 18-14 before winning 21-15.
Coming from behind to win 2-1 (20-22, 21-12, 21-15) against Pusarla V. Sindhu after 68 minutes of play, Thuy Linh had a favorable start to the India Open 2026 badminton tournament.
It was also Thuy Linh’s third consecutive victory against Pusarla V. Sindhu (in 2025, Thuy Linh had already beaten the Indian player twice), bringing the record of direct confrontations between the two players to 3-2.
In the second round, Thuy Linh will face the tournament’s number two seed, Wang Zhi Yi (China, world number two). It will be a big challenge for the Vietnamese number one.
Source : https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/thuy-linh-danh-bai-cuu-vo-dich-the-gioi-tai-giai-cau-long-quoc-te-an-do-197398.html
