Nguyễn Thùy Linh is approaching the top 20 in the global badminton rankings

Nguyễn Thùy Linh continues to be the highest-ranked Vietnamese player on the world badminton rankings since the time of Nguyễn Tiến Minh and Vũ Thị Trang.

Vietnam’s top badminton player, Nguyễn Thùy Linh, maintains her position in the rankings that will be updated by the BWF (Badminton World Federation) on January 27.

According to precise calculations from the specialized website Statminton, Thùy Linh holds steady at rank 21 with no change in points compared to last week: 48,930 points. The gap between the player from Phú Thọ and the one ranked above her, Lin Hsiang-ti - who was her opponent defeated at the 2026 Indonesia Masters last week - is less than 1,000 points.

Nguyễn Thùy Linh’s points remain intact after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2026 Indonesia Masters, matching her performance from the 2025 season. In Jakarta last week, the Vietnamese badminton beauty showed impressive form by advancing to the quarterfinals with two victories over Chinese Taipei opponents: Lin Hsiang-ti and Chiu Pin-chian.

Facing the rising Thai star Pitchamon Opatniputh, Thùy Linh had a chance to close the match in the second game but failed to capitalize. The Đồng Nai player then lost her composure and stamina, ultimately losing 1-2 and missing her first semifinal appearance in a BWF Super 500 event.

This week, Nguyễn Thùy Linh withdrew from the Super 300 Thailand Masters, meaning the top Vietnamese player will start her Lunar New Year break early. Nearly a month later, Thùy Linh will begin her European Tour with the most important tournament: the Super 300 German Open held in Mulheim, Germany, where she has been runner-up for two consecutive seasons.

The challenge for Thùy Linh in Germany this year will be much tougher as top players like Wang Zhiyi, Chen Yufei, Han Yue, Pornpawee Chochuwong, and Tomoka Miyazaki are all on the participant list.