New Delhi, 15 January 2026 – Vietnam’s top women’s singles player Nguyen Thuy Linh ended her campaign at the India Open 2026 in the second round, bowing out to world No.2 Wang Zhi Yi of China after a hard-fought match.
Vietnam’s No.1 badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh (world No.23) was eliminated in the second round of the India Open 2026 women’s singles after a straight-games defeat to Wang Zhi Yi (world No.2).
Coming off an impressive first-round victory over former world champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (world No.12), Nguyen Thuy Linh entered the match with confidence and delivered a respectable performance against one of the world’s elite players. However, Wang Zhi Yi’s superior class was evident in the opening game, as she controlled rallies, forced errors from the Vietnamese shuttler, and claimed the first game convincingly, 21-12.
The second game saw a much-improved display from Nguyen Thuy Linh. Relying on endurance, consistency, and tactical patience, she pressured Wang Zhi Yi into unforced mistakes and built a notable lead, pulling ahead 15-9 and 16-10 at one stage. Despite this strong spell, the Chinese player responded with authority, raising the tempo and capitalizing on several late errors from Thuy Linh to turn the game around and secure a 21-17 win, sealing the match 2-0.
Although unable to produce another upset, reaching the second round of the India Open — a tournament in the Badminton World Federation World Tour Super 750 series — is still considered a positive result for Nguyen Thuy Linh. Her run earned her USD 2,850 in prize money (approximately VND 70 million) along with 4,320 world ranking points. Notably, at the same tournament last year, she was eliminated in the opening round.
Following the India Open, Nguyen Thuy Linh will continue her international schedule at the Indonesia Masters 2026, set to begin on January 20. According to the draw, she will face Lin Hsing-ti (world No.21) in the first round of the women’s singles event, promising another challenging test as she looks to build on her early-season momentum.
Nguyen Duc
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