Nguyen Tien Minh.—File Photo

HA NOI (VNS)–Badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh made a stuttering start to 2013 when injury forced him to retire from the opening tournament in South Korea yesterday.

Minh was level with his Hong Kong rival Wong Wing Ki after two sets while he trailed 12-18 in the third set of the first round of the Victor Korea Open in Seoul.

But his leg injury prevented him from continuing, so he had to concede the match and with it a shot at the US$1 million prize for the tournament winner.

It is expected that Minh will recover in time for the next event, the Maybank Malaysia Open which starts on January 15. He is the No 3 seed for the event.