Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh defeated Chiu Pin-chian 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Taiwan International Badminton Open on the afternoon of 31/7. *Badminton Photo*

Nguyen Thuy Linh, seeded sixth, faced a challenging path through the tournament, encountering several home players. She secured victories over Pai Yu-po (2-0) and Peng Yu Wei (2-1) to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinal match, the player from Phu Tho faced her toughest opponent yet: Chiu Pin-chian, ranked 17th in the world and the tournament's top seed.

Despite Chiu's top seeding, Thuy Linh held a psychological edge, having won two of their three previous encounters. This allowed her to start strong in the first set, trading points with Chiu. After a closely contested first half, the Vietnamese player broke away with delicate shuttle control and powerful smashes to win the set 21-14.

As a local favorite, Chiu garnered enthusiastic support from the home crowd with every point scored. However, Thuy Linh was not without her own backing. After each impressive point, she heard cries of "Thuy Linh, try harder!" (Thuy Linh co len!) from a small contingent of Vietnamese expatriates.

Thuy Linh carried her momentum into the second set, establishing an early lead. However, an eagerness to close out the match led to unforced errors, including shots going out, hitting the net, and inaccurate judgment of shuttle placement. These mistakes allowed Chiu to gain points and build a significant 20-15 advantage.

Thuy Linh fought back, scoring four consecutive points, but ultimately failed to save the set point, losing 19-21.

Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh waves to the audience after defeating Chiu Pin-chian 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Taiwan International Badminton Open on the afternoon of 31/7. *Screenshot*

In the deciding set, Thuy Linh's impatience resurfaced. Chiu capitalized by playing high shuttles, prompting hurried shots from Thuy Linh that went out of bounds. This allowed Chiu to take a 10-5 lead, appearing on the verge of victory.

However, Thuy Linh demonstrated the resilience that has defined her career, having dominated Vietnamese women's badminton for over a decade. The 29-year-old fought hard, scoring three consecutive points to narrow the deficit to 9-10 before leveling the score at 11-11.

At this crucial juncture, Chiu faltered under pressure, while Thuy Linh gained momentum. She played with confidence, executing effective cross-court shots and net play. The Vietnamese player extended her lead to 17-13, then secured five consecutive points to win the set 21-13.

Securing the victory in exactly one hour, Thuy Linh advanced to the semifinals, where she will face Unnati Hooda from India.

Thuy Linh is Vietnam's top female badminton player, having won the national individual championship seven consecutive times. She has also claimed three consecutive Vietnam Open titles since 2022 and competed in both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. In the Super 300 series, she has been a runner-up four times: at the German Open in 2024 and 2025, the Canada Open in 2025, and the Korea Masters in 2025.

The Taiwan Open, part of the BWF World Tour Super 300 series, is held at Taipei Arena from 28/7 to 2/8, offering a total prize fund of 250,000 USD. Besides Thuy Linh, other Vietnamese representatives, Vu Thi Trang and the men's doubles pair Nguyen Dinh Hoang/Tran Dinh Manh, competed from the qualifying rounds but were eliminated early.

Following the Taiwan Open, Thuy Linh is scheduled to compete in the Korea Masters Super 300, followed by the World Championships in India from 17/8 to 23/8. She will then return to Vietnam to prepare for ASIAD 20 in September in Japan.

Duc Dong