Defeating the ASIAD champion, Nguyễn Thùy Linh sets a historic milestone for Vietnamese badminton

Nguyễn Thùy Linh has consistently remained the top prospect for Vietnamese badminton on the global stage.

March 2, 2024, marks a special milestone for Vietnamese badminton as the top hopeful Nguyễn Thùy Linh impressively secured a spot in the final of the 2024 German Open, a Super 300 level tournament under the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

In the semifinal held that evening, Nguyễn Thùy Linh overcame South Korea’s top player Kim Ga-eun, who had won the ASIAD 19 gold medal with the "Land of the Morning Calm" team in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.

Facing such a high-caliber opponent, Thùy Linh played confidently and demonstrated great resilience to defeat Kim in a tight three-game match with scores of 2-1 (20-22; 21-8; 21-16).

The Korean player, leveraging her physical advantage and power, narrowly won the first game 22-20. However, the momentum shifted completely in the second game. Thùy Linh exploded with dynamic shots and flexible play, continuously forcing Kim into long rallies that led to many errors. The game ended quickly with a dominant 21-8 victory for the Vietnamese player.

The deciding game showcased the mental strength and clear progress of the Đồng Nai-based athlete. Although trailing early on, she maintained composure, gradually equalizing and then building a safe lead. When Kim Ga-eun struggled with fitness and injury, Thùy Linh capitalized smartly with clever shot placements, closing game three at 21-16 to secure her place in the final.

This victory not only earned the Vietnamese representative a place in the championship match but also etched her name in the country’s badminton history by becoming the first female player to reach the final of a Super 300 level tournament. Just one day earlier, Thùy Linh had also reached the semifinals for the first time in her career at this tournament level.

Notably, this was Nguyễn Thùy Linh’s first victory over Kim Ga-eun, thereby "avenging" her previous loss to this opponent at the quarterfinals of the China Masters at the end of 2023. At the tournament in China, the "Beauty of Vietnamese Badminton" made a huge impact by consecutively eliminating former world number one Carolina Marin and then Denmark’s top player at that time, Line Kjaersfeldt, but was unable to advance further due to fatigue in the deciding set against the Korean opponent.

Although she did not win against Mia Blichfeldt in the final of the 2024 German Open, this strongly affirmed Nguyễn Thùy Linh’s capability at the world’s top badminton stages. In 2025, the 1997-born athlete showed remarkable progress by finishing as runner-up three times in Super 300 tournaments: Canada Open, Korea Masters, and once again at this German event.