Vietnamese badminton star ascends world ranking

By Hoang Nguyen August 9, 2021 | 05:00 pm PT

Nguyen Thuy Linh during the Tokyo Olympics with Sabrina Jaquet, July 28, 2021. Photo by Reuters.

Nguyen Thuy Linh jumped three places in world badminton rankings after her impressive performance at Tokyo Olympics last month.

Linh moved from 49th to 46th, the biggest jump among the world top 60. At Tokyo, she beat French player Qi Xuefei (41st) and Sabrina Jaquet of Switzerland (47th) and only lost to world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in group P.

Despite two victories, Linh still had to say goodbye to the Olympics, since only the top player of each group would advance.

The Badminton World Federation named Linh among the biggest underdog stories at the Olympics, where "she did enough to suggest that she aspire for higher things."

In a post last Friday, it said she gave No.1 Tai Tzu Ying "much to think about" in their opening game.

Linh became Vietnam's number one female badminton player in 2018. The 42nd position in world rankings in 2020 helped her claim a ticket to Tokyo.

After the Olympics, Linh is scheduled to return to Japan for training to prepare for SEA Games next year.

Vietnam's number two female badminton player Vu Thi Trang remained 52nd in world rankings. Her husband, the top male player in Vietnam, Nguyen Tien Minh, still stands in 60th in the men’s ranking despite losing two matches at Tokyo Olympics.