Vietnam badminton ace wins second international title in a week

By Le Khanh   April 1, 2019 | 02:57 am PT
Vietnam badminton ace wins second international title in a week
A photo from Nguyen Tien Minh's Facebook page shows him with his Chinese opponent Gao Zhengze (R) at the Yonex Waikato International 2019.
Nguyen Tien Minh has won the Yonex Waikato International 2019 in New Zealand, his second title in just one week.

Now ranked 67 in the world, the Vietnamese veteran had a tough fight against China’s Gao Zhengze, an opponent he had defeated at a different tournament two weeks ago.

In the final match on Sunday, Minh beat the Chinese player 14-21, 21-16, 21-17 to become the new Yonex Waikato International champion.

Gao showed a few sparks of brilliance by winning the first game, but went down later, unable to overcome the experience of the Vietnamese veteran.

This is the second title of the year for Minh, following his triumph at the Yonex North Harbour tournament on March 24.

Yonex Waikato International 2019 is a Future Series tournament held in New Zealand from March 28 to 31.

Minh, who has soared to heights unmatched by any Vietnamese badminton player before him, was once ranked as high as number four in the world.

 
 
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