LookAtVietnam – Nguyen Tien Minh, ranked Vietnamese No 1, has set his sights on a spot in next month’s World Badminton Federation’s top ten rankings with plans to play well in three world ranked tournaments this month.

Nguyen Tien Minh.

As scheduled, the HCM City-born athlete will compete in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines in his effort to make the world top 10.

“I’ll do my best to join the world top 10. However, it’s harder to climb one step in the top 10 than it is to climb 10 steps within the top 100,” said Nguyen Tien Minh.

“I’ll sustain my current 11th place world ranking if I qualify for the Singapore Series quarter-finals from June 9-14. But I hope not to disappoint everyone. I’ll keep attacking on the court to reach the top 10.”

The 24-year-old player, who became the first Vietnamese Olympian badminton player at the Beijing Games last year, secured two sponsorship contracts in the past two months.

Becamex Binh Duong Company, which owns the Binh Duong football team, has agreed to sponsor him with VND20 million (US$1,100) each month in a one-year contract.

Earlier last month, HCM City-based Victor sportswear company inked a four-year sponsorship deal with Minh, providing him with $2,000 monthly.

The sportswear company also agreed to cover Minh’s fees for three Asian tournaments each year.

Minh is the best paid Vietnamese athlete with a monthly income of more than VND60 million ($3,300).

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News