Nguyen Thuy Linh (Dong Nai) defended the women's singles championship of the National Individual Badminton Championship

Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh of the Dong Nai team struggled to defeat Tran Thi Phuong Thuy (Bac Ninh) after 2 games with the same score of 22-20 in the final match, thereby successfully defending the women's singles championship of the National Individual Badminton Championship held at home.

Badminton players Nguyen Thuy Linh and Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen (white shirt) of Dong Nai team on the podium to receive the women's singles award. Photo: Huy Anh

At noon on August 16, at the gymnasium of the Dong Nai Province Sports Training and Competition Center, the 2025 National Individual Badminton Championship, organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dong Nai Province in coordination with the Vietnam Sports Administration, concluded after the final match, followed by the award ceremony honoring the athletes who achieved top rankings at the tournament.

Nguyen Thuy Linh won the women's singles championship at home. Photo: Huy Anh

In the women’s singles final, Dong Nai’s home player Nguyen Thuy Linh once again faced Tran Thi Phuong Thuy of Bac Ninh. Thuy Linh held the advantage, having easily defeated her junior teammate, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, in straight sets in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Phuong Thuy had to endure a dramatic three-set battle to overcome Vu Thi Trang in her semi-final match.

Tran Thi Phuong Thuy (Bac Ninh, blue shirt) created a thrilling and dramatic women's singles final match with Nguyen Thuy Linh. Photo: Huy Anh

This year's final was more exciting and dramatic thanks to the excellent performance and fierce pursuit of the score by the Bac Ninh player when both games ended in a 20-20 draw before the final victory belonged to the Dong Nai player.

In the first game, Phuong Thuy started confidently, creating a point-for-point battle with Thuy Linh early on. However, Linh soon demonstrated her superiority by scoring key points to pull ahead. After trailing 9–11, Phuong Thuy responded with three consecutive points to take a 12–11 lead, then leveled again at 13–13. Linh then surged with a five-point streak to lead 18–13, but her momentum faltered as a string of unforced errors allowed Phuong Thuy to mount a fierce comeback, gradually narrowing the gap, drawing level at 18–18, then edging ahead 19–18, and even reaching game point at 20–19. Yet, displaying the composure of a player once ranked in the world’s top 20, Thuy Linh delivered three straight points to save a set point and secure a 22–20 victory in the opening game.

The two players delivered a tense contest early in the second set. Although Thuy Linh initially pulled ahead 10–6, Phuong Thuy mounted a fierce comeback, narrowing the gap to 9–11 by the interval. Thuy Linh then regained momentum, extending her lead to 16–11, then 18–13, and later 19–15. At that point, much like in the first set, Thuy Linh committed some unfortunate errors, while Phuong Thuy played brilliantly to close the gap to 18–19. Facing an 18–20 deficit, Phuong Thuy saved two match points to level the score at 20–20. However, Thuy Linh rose to the occasion, demonstrating composure at the critical moment to score two decisive points, sealing a 22–20 victory. With this, she claimed a 2–0 overall win to secure the women’s singles title, successfully defending her championship.

Leaders of Dong Nai Province Sports Training and Competition Center, coaching staff, and teammates took souvenir photos with two athletes Nguyen Thuy Linh and Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen after the closing ceremony. Photo: Huy Anh

The women’s singles event saw Dong Nai’s young talent, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, earn her first individual bronze medal at the National Championship. Thu Huyen lost 0–2 to Thuy Linh in the semi-finals and shared the bronze with Vu Thi Trang of Ho Chi Minh City.

Entering the final match, tennis player Nguyen Thuy Linh showed her superiority when she continuously scored points and created a gap in the first set. When the score of the first set was 11-1 in Thuy Linh's favor, Phuong Thuy asked to stop the consultation. After that, the tennis player of the Bac Giang team decided to retire due to a leg injury.

Dong Nai athletes Dao Khanh Linh - Do Thi Phuong Mai (right cover) on the podium to receive the women's doubles award. Photo: Huy Anh

In addition to the gold and bronze medals in the women's singles, Dong Nai also won a bronze medal in the women's doubles when the pair Dao Khanh Linh - Do Thi Phuong Mai lost in the semi-finals to the pair Bui Bich Phuong - Vu Thi Chinh of Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City tennis player Nguyen Hai Dang celebrates winning the men's singles championship. Photo: Huy Anh

In the men’s singles event, Ho Chi Minh City’s Nguyen Hai Dang claimed a convincing 2–0 victory (21–18, 21–13) over Le Duc Phat of the Army team, successfully defending his National Individual Badminton Championship title.

Overcoming the Hanoi athletes in the final match, Nguyen Dinh Hoang - Tran Dinh Manh (Lam Dong) won the men's doubles championship for the first time at the National Individual Badminton Championship. Photo: Huy Anh

Meanwhile, the Lam Dong duo Nguyen Dinh Hoang and Tran Dinh Manh made their mark by winning the men’s doubles title for the first time at the National Championship, defeating the Hanoi pair Nguyen Chi Duc and Nguyen Minh Hieu 2–0 in the final. Their victory was all the more impressive considering they were the only non-Hanoi pair to reach this year’s semi-finals, alongside three Hanoi teams, overcoming the defending champions Pham Hong Nam and Do Tuan Duc on their way to becoming the first non-Hanoi pair to win the men’s doubles title after nearly a decade of Hanoi dominance in this event.

Nguyen Dinh Hoang - Tran Dinh Manh (Lam Dong) on the podium to receive the men's doubles award. Photo: Huy Anh

In the remaining two events, Bui Bich Phuong - Vu Thi Chinh (Hanoi) successfully defended the women's doubles championship, and Pham Van Hai - Than Van Anh (Bac Ninh) continued to win the mixed doubles championship.

The organizers awarded prizes to the athletes who won high rankings in the mixed doubles event. Photo: Huy Anh

The organizers awarded prizes to athletes who achieved high rankings in the women's doubles event. Photo: Huy Anh

The organizers awarded prizes to athletes who won high rankings in the men's singles event. Photo: Huy Anh

The 2025 National Individual Badminton Championship took place from August 10 to 16, bringing together over 150 athletes from 17 provinces, cities, and sectors to compete in five events: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

A large number of spectators came to the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center to watch and cheer for the athletes. Photo: Huy Anh

By: Huy Anh

Translated by: Quoc Dung - Minho