Nguyen Thuy Linh triumphed over Japan’s Kaoru Sugiyama 21-15, 22-20 in the final on September 15, clinching her third consecutive Vietnam Open badminton title.
As the last Vietnamese player remaining in the tournament, Thuy Linh had the full support of a packed crowd at the Nguyen Du Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City. Fans arrived early, with anticipation building from 1 PM for the final showdown featuring Vietnam’s top-ranked badminton player. Thuy Linh took to the court at 5 PM, receiving loud cheers from the home crowd.
Her opponent, Kaoru Sugiyama, ranked 48th in the world and seeded eighth in the tournament, had an impressive run, winning all her matches from the qualifying rounds to reach the final.
Thuy Linh, known for her aggressive attacking style, opened the match with powerful smashes from the back of the court. Her versatility and control quickly gave her a commanding 7-1 lead, extending it to 11-6 at the mid-game interval in the first set.
Sugiyama, 21 years old, had not dropped a set on her way to the final, but she struggled against Thuy Linh’s varied and precise shot-making. Sugiyama’s attempts to play short rallies were easily countered by Thuy Linh’s smashes, leading the Vietnamese player to a comfortable 21-15 win in just 15 minutes.
In the second set, Sugiyama fought back with a series of more challenging shots, gaining an early lead. However, Thuy Linh, showing her experience, remained composed and began to dictate the play again, surging ahead 14-7. It appeared as though she would close out the match easily, but Sugiyama mounted a late comeback, narrowing the gap to 19-12.
With victory just two points away, Thuy Linh unexpectedly made several unforced errors, allowing Sugiyama to score seven consecutive points and take a 20-19 lead, putting the Japanese player in a position to win the set.
However, Thuy Linh regained her composure just in time, winning the next three points to secure the second set 22-20, and with it, the match and her third consecutive Vietnam Open title.
The Vietnam Open is part of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Super 100 series and is the largest badminton tournament in Vietnam. This year’s event, held from September 10 to 15, featured 307 male and female players from 22 countries competing in five categories: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The champions in the singles categories receive a prize of $7,500, while the doubles champions earn $7,900.
With this victory, Thuy Linh continues to cement her status as Vietnam’s top badminton player and a rising star on the international stage.
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