Fourteen-year-old Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen. Photo: Thich Cau Long
Huyen’s performances across two recent international tournaments have propelled her sharply up the world rankings.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said earlier this week she jumped 650 places to world No. 392 after reaching the semifinals of the Bangladesh International Challenge.
At that tournament, Huyen recorded a notable second-round upset over Malaysia’s Joanne Ng, the fourth seed and world No. 208, winning 21-17, 21-11 despite being eight years younger and ranked more than 800 places lower.
She went on to lose in the semifinals to a higher-ranked opponent.
The teenager from the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong carried her form into the higher-tier Bangladesh International Series, advancing through qualifying before beating India’s Anvitha Vijay, world No. 300, in the first round.
She then defeated Singapore’s Ying Shuen, ranked 245th in the world, 21-18, 21-14 in the second round.
Huyen’s results against established international players have drawn attention within Vietnam’s badminton community as she continues her first season on the global circuit.
The Bangladesh International Challenge was held from December 16 to 20 in Dhaka with around 233 players from about 17 countries competing across five events.
It was followed by the Bangladesh International Series from December 22 to 26 at the same venue.
