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| Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh. — Photo khampha.vn |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI — Top Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh won the first round of the Ciputra Ha Noi-Yonex Sunrise Viet Nam International Challenge badminton tournament.
The tournament started at Tay Ho District’s Gymnasium on March 22. Olympian Minh, No 2 seed, beat Nyoman Tryadnya Arya Kurniawan of Indonesia 21-18, 21-13 after 35 minutes.
The 35-year-old Vietnamese is World No 48, while the 18-year-old Indonesian ranks 404 in the world.
This year’s tournament will see Minh defending his title, which he won last year.
The HCM City-born player will next face 18-year-old Kittipong Imnark of Thailand, World No 328.
Another Vietnamese player, Pham Cao Cuong, World No 84, also won in the first round. He defeated World No 265 Korakrit Laotrakul of Thailand 21-15, 21-17.
In the second round, Cuong will meet Chen Chi Ting of Chinese Taipei, World No 262.
Meanwhile, top seed Kento Momota of Japan, World No 26, easily won against Shih Kuei Chun of Chinese Taipei, World No 136. Momota beat his rival 21-14, 21-7 after 35 minutes.
The Japanese will face Kean Yew Loh of Singapore, World No 256, in the next round. — VNS
OVietnam