Nguyễn Thùy Linh faces a top 15 world-ranked opponent at the Indonesia Masters

A tough contest is anticipated for the Vietnamese badminton beauty.

Vietnam’s number one badminton player, Nguyễn Thùy Linh, kicked off the 2026 Indonesia Masters with a highly convincing win against Lin Hsiang-ti on the evening of January 21st, Hanoi time.

Facing an opponent who defeated her at last year’s Australian Open, Thùy Linh remained unfazed, taking control and setting the pace. Although she started both games with some unforced errors, she quickly regained her rhythm, delivering sharp and tricky shots that left the Taipei representative unable to respond effectively.

This dominant victory advances the "Vietnamese badminton beauty" to the second round (round of 16) of this year’s Indonesia Masters, where she will meet Chiu Pin-chian, a compatriot of Lin Hsiang-ti.

Born in 1999, Chiu Pin-chian is currently the top female singles player from Taipei after the retirement of legend Tai Tzu-ying. Her first half of the 2025 season was somewhat turbulent, but she made a strong surge in the latter months by winning her first career title at the Korea Masters, followed by reaching the semifinals at the Kumamoto Masters, which significantly boosted her world ranking.

Notably, in the Korea Masters final, Chiu defeated Thùy Linh to claim the championship. They also met once before at the 2019 Norwegian International, where the Vietnamese player secured a 2-0 victory.

This promises to be a tough challenge for Nguyễn Thùy Linh as she faces a top 15 world-ranked female player, but it is clearly not an impossible task. If she can deliver a performance as impressive as her win over Lin Hsiang-ti, the 1997-born athlete could definitely pull off a surprise.

The match between Nguyễn Thùy Linh and Chiu Pin-chian in the round of 16 at the 2026 Indonesia Masters is scheduled for 11:30 AM on January 22nd.