Nguyen Thuy Linh convincingly defeated the former Thai number 1 at the World Championships.

Thùy Linh - Ảnh 1. — Thuy Linh won convincingly against former world number 1 Ratchanok Intanon - Photo: BMTP

Recently, Nguyen Thuy Linh has been in good form, reaching 18th place in the world in July, the best achievement in the history of Vietnamese women's badminton.

Due to her lack of participation in international tournaments, she is currently ranked 22nd. At the 2025 Badminton World Championships, Thuy Linh soon encountered difficulties when facing Ratchanok Intanon, a Thai player currently ranked 10th in the world.

Intanon was once a bright talent of Thailand, world champion in 2013 and held the world number 1 position in women in 2016.

However, the history of confrontation between the two players is balanced, each won one match. Notably, in the most recent meeting in March 2024, Thuy Linh won 2-0.

This time, Thuy Linh continued to shine when facing former world number 1 Ratchanok Intanon.

Right at the beginning of the match, the Thai player took the initiative to attack, quickly leading 7-3 and seemingly dominating the game.

However, Thuy Linh caught up very quickly. She patiently defended, neutralized dangerous shots and waited for counter-attack opportunities.

When Intanon made a hasty mistake, the Vietnamese player immediately took advantage to win 21-17 in game 1.

In the second set, Intanon played more confidently and created a fierce chase. However, her physical limitations at the age of 30 made her lose her breath against Thuy Linh, 28. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Thuy Linh closed the match with a 21-18 victory, convincingly winning the ticket to the next round.

In round 2, Thuy Linh will meet Kirsty Gilmour (Scotland). Although rated lower, Gilmour won the only confrontation between the two players last year.

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguyen-thuy-linh-thang-thuyet-phuc-cuu-so-1-nguoi-thai-lan-tai-giai-the-gioi-20250825201115234.htm