After defeating Nguyen Thuy Linh, the Indonesian badminton prodigy revealed his secret: 'I figured out her drop shots…'

Making her debut at the regional sports大会, 19-year-old tennis player Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi caused a surprise by defeating the higher-ranked player Nguyen Thuy Linh.

Nguyen Thuy Linh suffered a disappointing comeback defeat.

On the afternoon of December 11th, Vietnamese badminton fans witnessed an unfavorable result when the country's number one female player, Nguyen Thuy Linh ( world No. 22), suffered a 1-2 defeat (21/16, 20/22, 14/21) against Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi (world No. 82) from Indonesia.

Despite being considered the favorite and showing her mettle by staging an impressive comeback to win the first set, Thùy Linh continuously struggled in the following sets. This result led to the veteran Vietnamese player's early exit from the women's singles badminton event at the 33rd SEA Games.

Nguyen Thuy Linh was unable to win a medal at the 33rd SEA Games.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

The secret to winning is conquering fear.

Thùy Linh's opponent, Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi, is a young talent, only 19 years old. This is her first time competing in the SEA Games. Therefore, defeating a strong opponent like Thùy Linh is considered a big surprise.

After the match, the young Indonesian player shared her secrets to victory and her mindset when facing her senior opponent, Nguyen Thuy Linh. Pratiwi expressed: "I want to thank my parents, coach, support team, and fans who have always supported me. This is my debut at the SEA Games, and it's also my first time competing against Thuy Linh."

Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi is a badminton prodigy from Indonesia.

PHOTO: CMH

Revealing her mental state, Pratiwi admitted: "Actually, I went into this match feeling very stressed because I really wanted to win. I wanted to prove that I could do it. Even though this was my first time participating in the SEA Games, I proved that I could win and go even further."

Regarding allowing her opponent to score 9 consecutive points and losing the first set, Pratiwi said: "In the first set, my strategy was correct. But because I was leading, I wanted to attack continuously. Because I was afraid that if I prolonged the rally with too many high shots, my opponent would drop shots. Thùy Linh's cross-court shots from the baseline were very dangerous and accurate."

According to the 19-year-old Indonesian prodigy, the turning point that brought about the victory came from the coach's tactical adjustments after the first set: "It was the coach who reminded and advised me before entering the second set. The coach encouraged me, saying, 'It's okay, just prolong the rallies, you're strong, don't be afraid.' And it turned out that when I prolonged the rallies in sets 2 and 3, Thuy Linh's drop shots were also anticipated. What I was afraid of wasn't actually that difficult, it was just my mindset."

With this victory, Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi proved her talent, securing a place in the quarterfinals of the women's singles badminton event at the 33rd SEA Games.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/danh-bai-nguyen-thuy-linh-than-dong-cau-long-indonesia-tiet-lo-bi-quyet-toi-da-bat-bai-nhung-cu-bo-nho-185251211214535219.htm