Ha Noi — Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh secured the overall victory at the Yonex North Harbour International tournament, which ended yesterday in New Zealand.
Minh, ranked number 64 in the world, won all five of his matches, beating Gao Zhengze of China 21-13, 21-15 in the final to take the trophy.
"I have not won an international title for many years,” said Minh. “It is great that I can beat a rising Chinese star here in New Zealand. It will be a push for me to play well at upcoming events.”
On the women’s side, Vu Thi Trang could not find the same success as her husband Minh despite being the tournament’s top seeded player.
She got a bye to the second round, where she lost 14-21, 21-15, 18-21 to Chinese player Qui Ziying, who went on to win.
Three other Vietnamese representatives were also eliminated from the early rounds.
All five Vietnamese players will next play at the Yonex Waikato competition, part of the IBF’s International Series, in New Zealand from March 28-31. — VNS