LookAtVietnam – Viet Nam’s top badminton player Le Ngoc Nguyen Nhung scored her first international win since returning to circuit earlier this year

Deft touch: Le Ngoc Nguyen Nhung beat unseeded Indonesian Melicia Kurniawan in the first round of the Yonex-Sunrise Viet Nam Open Grand Prix yesterday to enter the second round of the women’s singles event.

Nhung took advantage of a series of unforced errors to quickly wrap up the first set 21-10.

But the second game saw a strong recovery by the Indonesian player even as Nhung made a series of unforced to make the match tight. At 19-all, both players missed match points until, at 22-all, the Indonesian made two errors to hand Nhung the match.

“In the first game, Kurniawan made many errors and I had it easy but in the second I was nervous and made many mistakes,” Nhung said after the match.

She will take on other local player, Nguyen Thi Be Tram, who beat compatriot Huynh My Lan in three games (21-15, 18-21, 21-14).

In March Nhung and Tram met in the National Team Badminton Championships, with Nhung coming out the winner.

“I beat her at the National Team Badminton Championships earlier this year and I hope to win here to advance to the quarter-finals,” Nhung said.

Another local player, Vu Thi Trang, also advanced to the second round after trouncing her compatriot Ha Thi Hao 21-13, 21-6, and faces Chinese Taipei’s Ya Ching Hsu in the second round.

A big disappointment for home fans was the elimination of last year’s semi-finalist Phung Nguyen Phuong Nhi at the hands of Malaysia’s Lydia Li Ya Cheah in straight sets.

In the mixed doubles event, home duo Duong Bao Duc and Thai Thi Hong Gam beat compatriots Truong Thanh Long and Huynh My Lan 21-13, 21-11 to set up a clash with Chinese Taipei’s Liao Min Chun and Chen Hsiao Huan, who needed three sets to beat their Malaysian opponents.

Top-seeded Nguyen Tien Minh had a comfortable win over American Arnold Setiadi (21-9, 21-12) to reach the men’s singles second round.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News