Opportunity for Dong Nai's shuttler Nguyen Thuy Linh to go far at World Championships

After defeating world top-10 player Ratchanok Intanon in the first round of the 2025 World Badminton Championships, Nguyen Thuy Linh, who represents Dong Nai, has a strong chance to advance further in the tournament currently taking place in Paris, France.

Thuy Linh makes the biggest surprise in the opening round of the 2025 World Badminton Championships. Photo: Screenshot.

In its coverage of the first-round results at the World Badminton Championships, the official website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) highlighted that the biggest shock on the opening day came from Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh, who defeated 10th seed and 2013 world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in straight games, 21-17, 21-18.

It should also be noted that this is the second time Thuy Linh has defeated Intanon in international tournaments, after winning 21-13, 21-15 in the quarterfinals of the German Open earlier in 2024, where the Vietnamese player finished as runner-up.

With the victory over Intanon, who was the 2013 women's singles world champion, Thuy Linh secured a spot in round 2, where she will face 32-year-old Scottish player Kirsty Gilmour. Currently, Thuy Linh is ranked 9 places higher than Gilmour (22 compared to 31) in the world badminton rankings. If she maintains her performance, the "hot girl" of Vietnamese badminton is fully capable of advancing to the next round.

Three years ago, Thuy Linh defeated Aya Ohori (Japan) in round 1 of the World Championships but lost to An Se-young of South Korea in round 2.

Earlier, in her first appearance at the World Championships in 2018, Thuy Linh impressed by passing the first two rounds with victories over Mariya Mitsova (Bulgaria) and Michelle Li (Canada), before stopping in round 3, where she lost to Chinese player He Bingjiao.

Thuy Linh's opponent in round 2 of this World Championships, Gilmour, has participated in many international tournaments. Her notable achievements include winning a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, Gilmour won silver medals at the European Championships (both losing to Spanish player Carolina Marin).

Thuy Linh previously faced Gilmour in the first round of the 2024 Indonesia Open and lost 10-21, 18-21, making their rematch on August 27 a prime opportunity for her to seek redemption.

By: PTT

Translated by: Mai Nga - Minho