Thuy Linh defeated former world number 1 at the 2025 World Championships

VHO - In the first round of the women's singles of the 2025 Badminton World Championships held in France on the evening of August 25 (Vietnam time), Vietnam's No. 1 tennis player Nguyen Thuy Linh made a big splash when she excellently defeated former world No. 1 from Thailand - Ratchanok Intanon.

Right in the first round, Thuy Linh ( world rank 22) met her fateful opponent Ratchanok Intanon (world rank 10).

Thuy Linh had an impressive victory on the opening day.

Ratchanok Intanon won the world championship in 2013, becoming the youngest player to win the tournament at 18 years, 6 months and 6 days.

The Thai tennis player was ranked No. 1 in 2016, won the silver medal at the 2010 ASIAD, was crowned Asian champion in 2015, and won three gold medals at the SEA Games.

Facing an opponent who was once at the top of the world rankings, Thuy Linh entered the match with confidence.

With a calm playing style, flexible movements and smart ball control, the tennis player from Phu Tho constantly confuses his opponents.

The tennis player born in 1997 took advantage of the decisive scoring opportunities to close the match after 2 tense sets, creating a big surprise of the tournament.

In set 1, the two players played a tug-of-war, chasing the score closely. But in the last half of the set, Thuy Linh continuously scored 13-9, 15-11 before winning 21-17.

In set 2, Thuy Linh continuously led but let her opponent equalize the score at 14-14. However, at this moment, the Vietnamese player had a series of 4 points to lead 18-14 before winning 21-18.

Defeating Ratchanok Intanon 2-0 (21-17, 21-18), Thuy Linh had a dream start at the 2025 World Championship.

The opponent of Vietnam's number 1 tennis player in round 2 will be the tennis player from Scotland - Kisrty Gilmour (ranked 31st in the world).

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/thuy-linh-danh-bai-cuu-so-1-the-gioi-tai-giai-vdtg-2025-163875.html