All four Vietnamese lost their matches Wednesday at the qualifiers of the 2006 World Badminton Championship in Madrid, Spain, on through this weekend.
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| Nguyen Tien Minh, the world’s number 75 |
Nguyen Tien Minh, the world’s number 75, was trounced 2-0 (21/16, 21/13) by world No.3 Chinese Jin Chen in just 34 minutes in the qualifiers’ second round. Minh had passed Klaus Raffeiner (Italy) 2-0 in his opener on the previous day.
Compatriots Nguyen Quang Minh and Tran Thanh Hai were handed a 2-0 defeat (21/17, 21/15) by Malaysia duo Tan Fook Choong / Wan Wah Lee in men’s doubles event.
In mixed doubles, Tran Thanh Hai / Le Ngoc Nguyen Nhung from Vietnam also played their way out of the tournament with a 2-0 loss (21/12, 21/4) over Denmark’s rivals Thomas Laybourn / Juhl Kamilla Rytter.
On the previous day, Tuesday, Hai / Nhung edged out the Austrians Michael Lahnsteiner / Tina Riedl 2-1 (16/21. 21/15, and 21/18).
The disappointing results at the international event demonstrate that Vietnam’s national badminton program lags behind the global frontrunners.
By Minh Phat
(source: thanhniennews.com)
