Việt Nam's leading female badminton player, Nguyễn Thùy Linh. — Photo tienphong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's leading female badminton player, Nguyễn Thùy Linh, secured a victory over Indonesia's Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo in the first round of the HSBC World Tour circuit - the Yonex Swiss Open in Basel on Wednesday.

Linh, ranked 18th in the world, faced Wardoyo, who currently holds the 39th spot. Wardoyo, a promising talent in Indonesian badminton, defeated Linh at the 32nd SEA Games. In this rematch, the Vietnamese player was determined to emerge victorious and prove herself.

Although Wardoyo, who had previously held the top position in the world youth badminton rankings, posed several challenges for Linh in the first set, Linh displayed impressive acceleration and ultimately overcame Wardoyo with a score of 21-16.

The second set was an exciting battle with both players chasing the score. Linh took the lead multiple times, but Wardoyo managed to secure a victory at a crucial moment, resulting in a 21-18 win and equalising the score to 1-1.

In the decisive final set, Linh maintained her strong performance, creating a relatively safe point gap of three to five points. However, the determined Indonesian talent showcased her resilience by launching an impressive scoring streak, tying the score at 16-16 and 19-19. Nevertheless, Linh showcased her skills with well-executed shots, ultimately emerging victorious with a score of 21-19.

In the next round, Linh will face the tournament's second seed, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia, who is currently ranked eighth in the world. VNS