Nguyen Thuy Linh, Vietnam's leading female badminton player, exited the Swiss Open 2026 after a 1-2 loss to Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki. Despite holding opportunities for revenge against the world number 9, Thuy Linh's performance was marred by unforced errors, ultimately leading to her defeat.

Miyazaki, 20 years old, is world number 9 and Japan's number two player. She previously defeated Thuy Linh 2-0 in the first round of the Singapore Open 2024. In this rematch, the Vietnamese player had many opportunities for revenge but ultimately "shot herself in the foot" by failing to capitalize on them.

In set one, Miyazaki initially had a slight edge. However, Thuy Linh quickly found her rhythm and executed effective shuttle control. She gradually closed the gap, securing a thrilling 22-20 victory.

Nguyen Thuy Linh lost 1-2 to Tomoka Miyazaki in the second round of the Swiss Open 2026 on the evening of 12/3. *Badminton Photo*

The 28-year-old player, however, could not maintain her momentum. In set two, her impatience led to numerous shots hitting the net or going out of bounds. Leveraging her youth and skill, Miyazaki capitalized on every opportunity and Thuy Linh's errors to widen the gap, winning 21-11.

In set three, Thuy Linh surprisingly took an early 4-0 lead, extending it to 9-4. At this crucial juncture, without a coach present to adjust her gameplay or provide psychological support, she began making continuous unforced errors. This allowed her opponent to score eight consecutive points, giving Miyazaki a 12-9 lead.

Due to rushed shots and inaccurate judgment, Thuy Linh ultimately lost the set 16-21, conceding the match 1-2.

Losing to a younger and higher-ranked player was not unexpected for Thuy Linh. However, considering the match's dynamics, she had a clear opportunity to pull off an upset if she had avoided rushing and minimized her unforced errors.

The Swiss Open 2026, part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 300 series, is held from 10 to 15/3 at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. The tournament attracts many strong players from around the world and offers a total prize fund of 250,000 USD.

Miyazaki, 21 years old, won the World Junior Championship in 2022, the Indonesia Masters Super 100, and was a runner-up at the Korea Masters Super 300. In 2024, the Japanese player earned a silver medal at the China Open Super 1000 and won the Orleans Masters. She also secured a bronze medal with the Japanese national team at the Uber Cup before winning the All-Japan Championship.

Born in 1997 in Phu Tho, Thuy Linh has been Vietnam's top female badminton player since 2018, winning the National Individual Badminton Championship seven consecutive times. She also claimed three consecutive Vietnam Open titles starting in 2022 and participated in two Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. In the Super 300 circuit, Thuy Linh was a four-time runner-up at the German Open (2024, 2025), Canada Open (2025), and Korea Masters (2025). She is currently world number 26.

Next week, Thuy Linh will travel to France to compete in the Orleans Masters Super 300, scheduled from 17 to 22/3.

By Duc Dong