Thuy Linh beats world-class opponent at China Masters 2023
VOV.VN - Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh (world No. 22) shockingly recorded an impressive first-round win against Marin Carolina (world No. 5), at the ongoing China Masters 2023.
![thuy linh beats world-class opponent at china masters 2023 picture 1 thuy linh beats world-class opponent at china masters 2023 picture 1](https://media.vov.vn/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-11/Thuy%20Linh.jpg)
The November 22 match saw the Spanish player dominate the first set, easily defeating her Vietnamese rival 21-10.
Despite falling behind, Thuy Linh produced her spectacular comeback in the second set, ending up in 21-19.
The Vietnamese girl, who was in good mood, went on to gain an excellent 21-15 victory over Carolina in the third set, ultimately securing a 2-1 win.
Carolina is a strong Spanish player who has been World Champion in the women's singles three times in 2014, 2015, and 2018, becoming the first-ever female badminton athlete to have achieved this feat in the process.
She also won the European Championships title six times, from 2014 to 2022, and bagged an Olympics gold medal in the women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Meanwhile, Thuy Linh was the first Vietnamese female players to enter the top 50 in the women's singles world ranking. Most recently, she won her first ever World Tour title at the home tournament Vietnam Open.
Linh is expected to face Danish rival Line Hojmark Kjærsfeldt (world No. 20) in the second match of the China Masters 2023.
The 2023 China Masters is currently taking place in Shenzhen and will last through to November 26, with a total prize money of over US$1 million on offer.
The tournament is part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750.