Nguyen Thuy Linh came from behind to beat Pusarla Venkata Sindhu 2-1 in the first round of the India Open on Jan. 14, 2026. Photo by BWF
Vietnam’s top-ranked female badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh secured a 2-1 comeback victory over former world champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu in the first round of the 2026 India Open.
The India Open, a prestigious BWF Super 750 level tournament held in New Delhi from Jan. 13 to 18, presented a challenging draw for the unseeded Linh.
In her opening match on Wednesday, the 29-year-old player faced Sindhu, the current world number 12 and an Indian sporting icon with a decorated career including two Olympic medals and the 2019 World Championship title.
Despite Linh’s world ranking of 23 following a 33rd SEA Games without winning a medal, the head-to-head history favored her, having defeated Sindhu twice in 2025.
In the opening set, Linh failed to capitalize on a set point, allowing Sindhu to storm back with three consecutive points to win 22-20.
However, the Vietnamese star responded with a flexible and varied tactical approach in the second set, minimizing unforced errors to dominate 21-12. The final set was equally competitive until a power outage forced a brief pause. Maintaining her composure, Linh exhausted her opponent with powerful, precise shots to pull away from a 13-13 tie, ultimately winning 21-15. The match ended after 1 hour and 8 minutes.
This victory earned Linh $2,850 from the tournament’s $950,000 total prize pool.
Following her triumph over Sindhu, Linh advanced to the second round where she faced world number two and China number one Wang Zhiyi. Despite her effort, Linh was unable to secure another upset, falling to the Chinese star 0-2 after 39 minutes.
Linh, 29, has been Vietnam’s dominant female player since 2018, claiming seven consecutive national titles and representing her country at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
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