On the afternoon of January 23, tennis player Nguyen Thuy Linh (ranked 32nd in the world) faced Karupathevan Letshanaa (Malaysia, ranked 56) in the round of 16 of the Indonesia Masters 2025 badminton tournament.
The surprising victory over the world’s 12th-ranked Indian player PV Sindhu in the round of 16 on January 22 helped Thuy Linh’s spirit rise. However, that match also greatly affected the physical strength of Vietnam’s number 1 player.
She faced many difficulties against her opponent's diverse playing style in the first set. Although her opponent continuously led, Thuy Linh calmly tied the score before winning 21-18.
The first few minutes of set 2 were similar to set 1 when Thuy Linh kept making mistakes against the quick and cunning Karupathevan Letshanaa. She had to chase the score continuously but this time, luck was not on the side of the player from Phu Tho. Letshanaa seized the opportunity to win 21-17, thereby tying the score 1-1.
In the decisive third set, Nguyen Thuy Linh regained her composure. She proved her class as a higher-ranked player. This time, the Vietnamese representative continuously created an advantage with precise and skillful shots. The 22-20 victory in the third set belonged to Thuy Linh.
In the end, Thuy Linh defeated Karupathevan Letshanaa with a score of 2-1. This result helped the Vietnamese representative enter the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters 2025 badminton tournament.
Thuy Linh's next opponent is Sung Shuo-yun - a Taiwanese (Chinese) tennis player currently ranked 24th in the world.
