Vietnam badminton players face top opponents at Tokyo Olympics

By Hoang Nguyen July 10, 2021 | 03:48 pm PT

Badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh at the Vietnam Open 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong.

Vietnamese badminton players Nguyen Tien Minh and Nguyen Thuy Linh are placed in tough groups in the Olympics along with some of the world’s top players.

In the men’s section, Minh, ranked 60th in the world, is in group L along with world number three Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Azerbaijan’s Ade Resky Dwicahyo (80th).

Only the group winners will advance.

The 24-year-old Dane is in the form of his career, while Minh, 38, is long past his prime.

The only time they have met was in 2018 when Antonsen won 2-0. Minh’s advantage is his Olympic experience, having qualified four times for the quadrennial event.

In the women’s section, Linh (49th) is in an even tougher group along with the world’s top player, Taiwanese Tai Tzu Ying, Frenchwoman Qi Xuefei (41st) and Swiss player Sabrina Jaquet (46th).

The badminton event will be played from July 24 to August 2.