Nguyen Thuy Linh makes history.

In the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released yesterday, Vietnam's number one badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh climbed 4 places, entering the top 20 in the world for the first time (her previous highest ranking was 23rd).

Nguyen Thuy Linh enters the world's top 20.

Independence

This achievement is thanks to the Đồng Nai player's consecutive successes in high-level international tournaments within the BWF World Tour system, such as the China Open (reaching the round of 16), the Vietnam Open (winning the championship), the Finland Open (quarterfinals), and the Denmark Open (round of 16). The higher her ranking on the BWF rankings, the more likely Thùy Linh is not only to qualify for top-tier badminton tournaments but also to have the opportunity to be seeded, avoiding stronger opponents in the early rounds. On the ranking for the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, Nguyễn Thùy Linh also rose to 15th in the world, securing her ticket to participate in the women's singles event of that tournament.

Having already achieved her goal of reaching the top 20 in the world in 2023, Vietnam's number one badminton player is now aiming for a top 15 finish. Investment in her career is being coordinated between Thuy Linh's management unit in Dong Nai , the Department of Sports and Physical Education, and the Vietnam Badminton Federation. Accordingly, Thuy Linh will be given opportunities to compete in international tournaments with a suitable schedule. In addition, she will be scheduled for overseas training sessions interspersed with international tournaments to improve her skills, physical fitness, and recovery. The challenge of finding a personal coach for Nguyen Thuy Linh has also been raised, but remains unresolved due to the significant cost involved in hiring a skilled coach.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, head of the badminton department and General Secretary of the Dong Nai Badminton Federation, said that because Nguyen Thuy Linh is currently called up to the national team, she has a national team coach in charge. "From the local side, the coaches always pay attention and regularly communicate with Nguyen Thuy Linh. At national and international tournaments in Vietnam, and some international tournaments and training camps abroad, we also send coaches to accompany and support Linh," Ms. Hien said.

Today, Nguyen Thuy Linh competes in the first round of the women's singles at the French Open badminton tournament. This tournament is part of the BWF World Tour Super 750 series, attracting many strong players. Unfortunately for the number one Vietnamese player, she is up against the reigning Olympic champion, Chen Yu Fei (China, world number 3). However, this is also a valuable opportunity for Nguyen Thuy Linh to hone her skills. In recent tournaments, she has consistently defeated higher-ranked opponents, so she is expected to spring a surprise against Chen Yu Fei.

Thanhnien.vn