Hooda, born in 2007 in Haryana, India, was the tournament's third seed. She is an Indian badminton prodigy, having been named to the national team for the Uber Cup at just 15 years old. Hooda holds three Super 100 Tour titles and achieved a career-high world ranking of 19th in 5/2026.

Nguyen Thuy Linh defeated Unnati Hooda (India) 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open 2026 international badminton tournament on the afternoon of 1/8. Photo: Screenshot

Nguyen Thuy Linh defeated Unnati Hooda (India) 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open 2026 international badminton tournament on the afternoon of 1/8. Photo: Screenshot

Thuy Linh had never faced Hooda before but understood her opponent's playing style. The sixth seed initially trailed but then proactively played deep clears followed by net shots. She executed this strategy to wear down Hooda, taking an 11-6 lead midway through the first set.

After the interval, Thuy Linh continued an impressive scoring run, extending her lead to 14-7. Although Hooda briefly rallied to close the gap, Thuy Linh calmly played difficult shots to win the first set 21-15.

In the second set, Hooda launched strong attacks with powerful smashes, building a significant lead of 5-1 and then 8-4. However, Thuy Linh demonstrated her composure and excellent match reading ability by directing difficult shots to her opponent's backhand. This strategy forced Hooda to turn and return, creating opportunities for Thuy Linh to score, who gradually narrowed the deficit to 7-8, then 10-11.

Hooda again surged ahead, leading the Vietnamese player 16-11. It seemed Thuy Linh's chances were slipping away, but she then played some of the best badminton of her career, executing deep clears and precise net shots to score continuously. From a 5-point deficit, the player from Phu Tho province narrowed the gap to 16-17 and then equalized at 18-18. She then scored three consecutive points to win the second set 21-18, securing her spot in the final after 41 minutes.

Thuy Linh is Vietnam's top female badminton player, a seven-time consecutive national badminton champion. She has also won the Vietnam Open three consecutive times since 2022 and competed in two Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. On the Super 300 circuit, she has been a runner-up four times: at the German Open 2024, 2025, Canada Open 2025, and Korea Masters 2025.

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

After the Taiwan tournament, Thuy Linh will compete in the Korea Masters Super 300, followed by the World Championships held in India from 17/8 to 23/8. After that, she will return to Vietnam to prepare for ASIAD 20 in 9/2026 in Japan.

Duc Dong