Thuy Linh struggled through the first round of Vietnam International Challenge

Nguyen Thuy Linh won 21-12, 19-21 and 21-19, at the tournament held at the Tay Ho District Gymnasium.

"Si is not bad. She is young but plays confidently and stably," the 26-year-old told MetaSports. "It's true that I struggled. But that's also good. Winning too quickly can make the next matches difficult to adjust. Thinking positively, this match brought me a lot of things."

Thuy Linh is ranked 40th in the world, playing at home, while Si's position is 202. This gap is partly shown in game one, when the Vietnamese player dropped small, smashed the bridge or hit the ball loosely. attack to win quickly 21-12.

But in the second game, Thuy Linh made many mistakes to hit the outside, missed the small failure and there were many situations where the demand was too high for Si to beat back and earn points. After the match, she thought that the reason was standing on the side of the smooth yard, and at the same time, she witnessed her senior Vu Thi Trang compete outside a lot, so she did not believe her hand. In contrast, Si stepped up, especially after the mid-game break, to lead 20-15. The game became dramatic when Thuy Linh skillfully made the Taiwanese opponent have three consecutive hits, shortening the score to 19-20. However, Thuy Linh could not equalize when she dropped the bridge because she misjudged to go out. Si thus won 21-19.

The last game was a struggle. Thuy Linh started strongly, at one point leading by five points. But Si quickly equalized 8-8. This is the period when the 18-year-old tennis player proved to be stubborn, once fell on the court but still got up to continue fighting. Even when Thuy Linh led 19-15, Si did not give up and shortened the gap to 18-19. However, the host player was able to promote his bravery with two powerful smashes to score points, ending the match after an hour and 10 minutes.

Thuy Linh won a gold medal at the national youth badminton championship when she was 17 years old. In 2018, she usurped Vu Thi Trang's number one position in Vietnam. Thanks to the 42nd place in the world, the tennis player from Phu Tho was allowed to represent Vietnam at the 2020 Olympics - where she won two, lost one and finished second in the group stage.

Thuy Linh said the tournament in Tokyo, Japan was a turning point in her career, when more people were known. However, she affirmed that her personal life is still undisturbed because she lives a closed life, less affected by outside influences. "I just hope that being loved by everyone can boost the love of badminton in Vietnam," she said.

Right before today's match, Thuy Linh received good news when climbing to 40th in the world, the highest position in her career. According to the player born in 1997, it is not the final destination because her goal is to be in the top 30. The highest position of Vietnamese badminton on the world women's singles rankings belongs to Vu Thi Trang - 34th in May. 6/2017.