Nagoya, 26 Sep 2026 – Vietnamese badminton star Nguyen Thuy Linh saw her ASIAD 2026 campaign come to an end after pushing world No. 4 Chen Yu Fei of China to three games in the women’s singles third round on September 26.
Thuy Linh advanced through the second round earlier on Friday morning, giving her confidence ahead of a much tougher challenge later in the day against fourth seed Chen Yu Fei. The Chinese star, currently ranked fourth in the world, immediately demonstrated her quality in the opening game and took control of the contest. Chen played with confidence and dominated the exchanges to claim the first game 21-10, leaving the Vietnamese player with a difficult task to keep her Asian Games campaign alive.
Thuy Linh responded impressively in the second game. Regaining her composure, the Vietnamese player became much more aggressive and repeatedly looked for gaps in Chen’s positioning, forcing her highly rated opponent into defensive situations. The game developed into a tense battle as neither player was able to establish a decisive advantage. Thuy Linh eventually held her nerve at the crucial moments and, with a little fortune along the way, edged the game 24-22 to level the match and force a deciding third game.
With momentum on her side, Thuy Linh entered the decider hoping to produce a major upset against the Chinese fourth seed. However, she was unable to maintain the same level as Chen regained control of the exchanges. The Chinese player pulled away to win the deciding game 21-12, completing a 2-1 victory with scores of 21-10, 22-24, 21-12 and bringing Thuy Linh’s campaign at the 20th Asian Games to an end. The Vietnamese player competed in two matches during the tournament in Japan.
Vietnam nevertheless had more positive news in the men’s singles later in the evening as Nguyen Hai Dang advanced to the third round with a commanding victory over Tajikistan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhimov. Hai Dang controlled the match from start to finish and needed only two games to secure a convincing 21-6, 21-6 victory.
Vietnam’s badminton team entered the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games aiming to produce the best possible results rather than setting a specific medal target. The country has never won an Asian Games medal in badminton, leaving Hai Dang and Vietnam’s remaining competitors with the opportunity to continue pushing for a historic breakthrough at ASIAD 2026.
VSN/RPT
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