Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh defeated Peng Yu Wei 2-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 Taiwan Open international badminton tournament, on the afternoon of 30/7. Photo: Badminton Photo

Nguyen Thuy Linh, the tournament's 6th seed and world number 25, was favored against Peng Yu Wei, ranked world number 74. However, playing on home soil gave Peng confidence, allowing her to match Thuy Linh's play at the start of the first set. Both players battled for every point, maintaining a narrow margin.

Towards the end of the first set, Thuy Linh led 19-17 and held a set point at 21-20. However, she unexpectedly made an unforced error, ultimately losing the set 23-21.

Peng, a 21-year-old rising star in Taiwanese badminton, is known for her physique and powerful smashes. However, she still lacks experience and consistency in her game.

This lack of consistency was evident in the next two sets, as Thuy Linh maintained her confidence and composure. Utilizing deep clears and precise net shots, the Vietnamese representative consistently held a significant lead.

Although Peng rallied at times, playing aggressively and making incredible retrieves, Thuy Linh minimized her unforced errors. As a result, she won the next two sets 21-15 and 21-14, concluding the match in 56 minutes.

Match statistics: Thuy Linh - Peng Yu Wei.

Thuy Linh is Vietnam's top female player, with seven consecutive national individual badminton championship titles. She also secured three consecutive Vietnam Open titles starting in 2022 and competed in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the Super 300 series, she was a four-time runner-up at the German Open 2024, 2025, Canada Open 2025, and Korea Masters 2025.

Thuy Linh's quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of the match between Chiu Pin-Chian (Taiwan, 1st seed) and Manami Suizu (Japan).

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

Following the Taiwan tournament, Thuy Linh will 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