19-year-old Xu Wen Jing stops Nguyen Thuy Linh at Vietnam Open 2026 first round

Nguyen Thuy Linh, Vietnam's top female shuttler, suffered a first-round exit at the 2026 Vietnam Open after losing 17-21, 20-22 to 19-year-old Chinese rising star Xu Wen Jing. The match, played at Nguyen Du Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, saw Thuy Linh let slip a 17-14 lead in the second game. Xu, ranked world No. 72, arrived in Vietnam as the Indonesia Masters Super 100 champion and former world junior champion. Her fast, powerful style proved decisive in the closing stages of both games. In Game 1, Thuy Linh clawed back from 8-13 to 13-13 but faded at 16-16, losing 17-21. In Game 2, she led 17-14 before Xu reeled off four straight points to lead 18-17. Thuy Linh tied at 20-20 but made two errors under pressure. The defeat was closer than the 10-21, 10-21 thrashing she received from Xu at the Korea Masters in July, but it highlighted a recurring weakness in finishing decisive rallies. Tactically, Xu's ability to produce quick four-point bursts in crucial moments neutralises Thuy Linh's rally-based control game. The loss came on the same day 43-year-old veteran Nguyen Tien Minh also exited after qualifying, underscoring Vietnam's shallow talent pool. Thuy Linh, ranked 32nd, now risks dropping out of seedings if her form does not recover. For Xu, two consecutive wins over a top-32 opponent and a Super 100 title confirm her upward trajectory, though her true test will come at higher-tier events.