Linh's opponent was Kisona Selvaduray, a Malaysian player who won the International Challenge and a gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games, currently ranked 77th in the world.

Linh started slowly, hitting the shuttlecock out of bounds three times to gift her opponent an early 5-2 lead. While Kisona moved nimbly, the home favorite appeared sluggish and hesitant in her shots.

Linh continued to lose points, allowing the first set to slip out of her control as Kisona extended the gap to 18-12 before closing out the set 21-14.

After receiving tactical advice and encouragement from Indonesian expert Hariawan Hong and his assistant, the top seed began the second set with a more direct, faster, and precise playing style.

The two players initially exchanged points, but Linh soon pulled ahead to an 11-9 lead.

Having gained the advantage, Linh regained her rhythm with relaxed shots, accurate clears, and fewer errors. She rediscovered her top-seed form, taking control of the match to win the second set 21-12.

Fueled by the enthusiastic home crowd at the Nguyen Du Stadium, Linh grew increasingly confident, playing with more aggressive attacks and fluid movement.

Despite a brief 4-4 tie in the third set, Linh then scored 7 consecutive points to take an 11-4 lead. With a comfortable margin, she continued her dominant performance, winning the final set 21-10, and securing a 2-1 comeback victory.

With her quarterfinal berth secured at the 2025 Vietnam Open, Linh moved closer to defending her title. She waved to the appreciative crowd as the match ended.

In the men's singles event, Nguyen Hai Dang, currently ranked 63rd in the world and seeded 7th, also achieved a comeback 2-1 (12-21, 21-17, 21-18) victory against Mithun Manjunath of India.

The 2025 Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open International Badminton Tournament is taking place at the Nguyen Du Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, from 9/9/2025 to 14/9/2025. Part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 100 series, the tournament boasts a total prize pool of 110,000 USD. The winners of the men's and women's singles will each receive 8,250 USD, while the winning pairs in men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles will receive 8,690 USD.

The tournament has attracted 295 players from 20 countries and territories. Taiwan has the largest delegation with 68 players. The tournament also features highly ranked female players such as Lalinrat Chaiwan (Thailand, 43rd), Tanvi Sharma (India, 45th), and Aakarshi Kashyap (India, 46th).

Duc Bao