CHINA- Vietnam's number one badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh defeated Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt 22-20, 21-12 to win a ticket to the quarter-finals of the China Masters 2023.
The shocking victory over world number five Carolina Marin seemed to give Thuy Linh more confidence. Against her opponent in the round of 16, world number 20 Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt - two places above her, the Vietnamese player still played with confidence, showed her effectiveness at decisive moments and had a bit of luck to finish the match after 37 minutes.
In the first set, Kjaersfeldt started strongly, leading 3-0 thanks to deep drives and cross-court smashes. But Thuy Linh quickly regained control of the game, focusing on defense to lead 4-3. The two players then fought for points with the advantage belonging to Thuy Linh, before two defensive errors put her behind 9-11.
Vietnam's number one tennis player Nguyen Thuy Linh. Photo: AFP
Coach Ngo Trung Dung immediately asked to stop the meeting. He instructed Thuy Linh to be more proactive in defending when making high shots, and asked her to make better use of cross-court shots because the Danish player is not a flexible player.
Back on the court, Thuy Linh took a few more beats to adjust her play and was trailing 10-14. From there, the Vietnamese player's serve improved, creating a five-point streak to take the lead. The tug-of-war brought the score to 19-19 before Thuy Linh was left behind and faced the risk of losing the first set. However, two consecutive outs by Kjaersfeldt gave Thuy Linh the advantage. Then, with a good smash, she made her opponent return the ball into the net and won dramatically 22-20.
In the second set, Kjaersfeldt still started well, leading 6-4. But Thuy Linh gradually found her rhythm, showing off her ability to control the ball, making Kjaersfeldt struggle to move. The 1997-born player had two streaks of four points in a row, and three streaks of three points in a row to win 21-12.
In the quarterfinals, Thuy Linh will face world number 15 Kim Ga-eun, who just defeated Japanese number 16 Aya Ohori 21-10, 21-18. Linh and Kim have never faced each other before.
The 2023 China Masters is part of the Super 750 system, bringing together 305 players from around the world to compete in five categories: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. The tournament will take place from November 21 to November 26 in Shenzhen.
Outstanding players are all present, such as women's singles number one An Se-young (Korea), second Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), third Chen Yu Fei (China), fourth Tai Tzu Ying (Taiwan). Men's singles have world number one Viktor Axelsen (Denmark), second Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (Indonesia), third Kodai Naraoka (Japan), fourth Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand).
Thuy Linh, born in Phu Tho , is currently the number one female tennis player in Vietnam, number six in Southeast Asia and 17 in Asia. In 2023, she won the Vietnam Open and Vietnam International Challenge, finished second in the Thailand International Challenge, and reached the quarterfinals of the Canada Open, US Open, and Finland Open. On the rankings table for tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Thuy Linh is currently ranked 15th and is likely to achieve her goal if she maintains her form.
Vnexpress.net
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