Nguyễn Thùy Linh impressively reached the round of 16 at the World Championship.

Nguyễn Thùy Linh, the leading badminton athlete from Vietnam, continued to shine at the 2025 World Championships by advancing to the women's singles last 16.

In the early hours of August 28 in Paris, France, Vietnam's number one female player, Nguyễn Thùy Linh, brilliantly defeated Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, ranked 31st, with a score of 2-0.

This match was challenging since Gilmour is known for her strong stamina, agile playing style, and had previously beaten Thùy Linh at last year’s Indonesia Open.

In the first set, Gilmour started aggressively, quickly building a 5-point lead and leading 7-2. However, Thùy Linh remained composed, adjusted her pace, utilized her skillful shot variation and precise finishing to level the score at 10-10. From there, the Vietnamese player took control, capitalized on counterattacks, and won the set 21-17, gaining a crucial advantage.

In the second set, Thùy Linh started strong by maintaining a continuous lead. Gilmour demonstrated her experience with relentless pursuit and intense rallies. Despite this, Thùy Linh stayed focused and resilient during key points, closing the set with a narrow 23-21 victory, securing a 2-0 overall win and officially entering the top 16 of the tournament.

Earlier, in the first round, she made headlines by eliminating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand (world No. 10) with a 2-0 score.

In the next round, Vietnam’s top player will face the winner between Chen Yu Fei (China, world No. 4) and Mia Blichfeldt (Denmark, world No. 26). Both are strong opponents, especially Chen Yu Fei, who is among the world’s elite with vast experience in major tournaments. Nevertheless, with her consistent form and high morale, Nguyễn Thùy Linh is expected to continue causing upsets.