Thuy Linh shockingly lost to her Chinese opponent, missing the chance to win the championship at home.

TPO - In the final match of the Vietnam Open Badminton Tournament 2025, Thuy Linh unexpectedly lost to her Chinese opponent, Cai Yan Yan. This defeat prevented her from extending her championship streak in the tournament on home soil.

Thuy Linh is ranked 18th in the world while her opponent is outside the Top 100. There is a big difference in rankings but in fact, at her peak, Cai Yan Yan was also ranked 14th in the world. This player has enough experience and maturity to cause many difficulties for Thuy Linh in the final match.

She quickly demonstrated that from the very first shots. Cai Yan Yan broke through with a series of attacks, causing many difficulties for her Vietnamese opponents. Her ability to maintain the tempo of the game helped Cai Yan Yan always be proactive.

She led 7-2 then 14-6. When the score was 18-8 in favor of Cai Yan Yan, Thuy Linh understood that her chance in the first set was over. All the Vietnamese player could do was try to shorten the gap before losing the first set with a score of 21-17.

Cai Yan Yan played excellently.

In the second set, Thuy Linh took the initiative to attack and took the lead. The world No. 18 showed her determination to turn the game around. However, she could only do well in the first half of the second set. After the break, Cai Yan Yan took the lead. The Chinese representative gradually narrowed the gap and tied the score at 18-all. From then on, she led Thuy Linh in the decisive moment of the match.

Thuy Linh tried hard to save 3 match points, but on the 4th time, her shot went out of the court. Cai Yan Yan won 23-21 and secured a 2-0 victory.

Thus, Thuy Linh could not successfully defend the Vietnam Open title. She ended her consecutive championship streak in this tournament at number 3. This was a regrettable defeat for the Vietnamese tennis player. Although her ranking was superior to her opponent, the truth is that Cai Yan Yan performed much better.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/thuy-linh-thua-soc-doi-thu-trung-quoc-lo-co-hoi-vo-dich-tren-san-nha-post1778135.tpo