Tien Minh surprised with comeback win at Vietnam Open

"I was so surprised by this victory," Tien Minh said after the match on the afternoon of September 10. "Before the tournament, I registered, but was ranked 27th on the waiting list, meaning that 26 athletes above me had to drop out before I could compete. So I didn't prepare much. It wasn't until yesterday, the day before the tournament, while I was sleeping, that I was informed that I would compete, so I was very excited and honored to enter the field today."

The tennis player from Ho Chi Minh City holds the record of winning the Vietnam Open four times. However, he has recently played less internationally and dropped to 508th in the world, so he was placed on the waiting list for the tournament. Near the competition date, because some opponents from Hanoi, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan could not fly to Ho Chi Minh City in time, Tien Minh was promoted to receive a ticket to participate at the last minute.

The 41-year-old's opponent in today's opening match is Singh - currently ranked 327th in the world. Singh, only 21 years old, is considered a new talent in Indian badminton, possessing height, long arms and strong smashes. He defeated Tien Minh 21-16 in the first set. But in the next two sets, the home player fought back to win 21-12, 21-13.

"I still practice regularly, but due to not competing much, when I entered the match, I couldn't keep up with my opponent and lost the first set," Tien Minh admitted. "But when I regained my composure and was warmly cheered by the home crowd, I gradually came back. Moreover, because I realized my opponent was out of breath, I made reasonable adjustments to win."

Tien Minh was in the world top 5 in 2010 and 2013. He holds the record of being the number one tennis player in Vietnam for 21 years. Currently, at the age of 41, the tennis player from Ho Chi Minh City still wants to continue to contribute.

"I don't think my victories are inspirational, but simply spread the passion for badminton to everyone. If you have the health and passion, just give it your all with badminton. As for me, if I still have the strength, I will still compete, and try my best in each tournament, going as far as I can, without setting any goals," he said.

Tien Minh lost the number one position in Vietnam since March 2023 to his junior Nguyen Hai Dang. But the 41-year-old legend sees it as a rule and good news for Vietnamese badminton. He said: "A few years ago, our men's singles position was disappointing, but recently, Hai Dang and Duc Phat have emerged and played very well. They have been invested in properly and have entered the world's top 100."

According to Tien Minh, badminton players not only need talent, but also need to compete internationally regularly to gain experience and keep up with top-level badminton. He used himself in today's comeback win over Singh as an example, when he lacked feeling and was slow to catch up due to not having many international competitions.

"Hopefully, in the near future, Vietnam will have more players competing internationally to reach new heights. Athlete Thu Huyen winning a silver medal in the U15 women's singles at the recent 2024 U15 Asian Badminton Championship is a testament to that," said Tien Minh.

Vietnam Open 2024 will take place from September 10-15 at Nguyen Du Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City). This is a tournament under the BWF World Tour Super 100 system organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Badminton Federation. The tournament brings together more than 307 players from 22 countries competing in five events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Tomorrow, September 11, in addition to Tien Minh, there will be seeds such as Nguyen Thuy Linh, Le Duc Phat and Nguyen Hai Dang, Vu Thi Trang, Thu Huyen competing in the main round. In which, Thuy Linh meets her junior Anh Thu.