Nguyen Thuy Linh was psychologically disturbed when she entered the semi-finals of VIC
At the Tay Ho District Gymnasium, the chants of "Thuy Linh fight hard" or "Thuy Linh be calm" continuously resounded in the stands. However, the women's singles host's greatest hope did not get off to a good start. She was constantly pushed backhand by Ping, made many mistakes and lost game 1 14-21 quickly.
But in the second game, Thuy Linh promptly reversed the situation, taking advantage of Huang's mistakes such as hitting the net, serving young or sending the bridge too high. The Taiwanese player also felt that the space was not good, four situations of missing the shuttle were inaccurate. Thuy Linh thus won 21-14.
In spirit, the 26-year-old player was more confident in the third game. She often pushed the bridge deep, making it difficult for Huang to fight back, only to end up with small dangerous misses or smashing the bridge. The arena became lively when Thuy Linh ate nine points in a row to lead 19-8. Despite missing the first match-point, she quickly closed the match with a 21-9 victory when Huang hit the shuttle without going over the net.
"This is a difficult match, because I myself did not play well. Right from the beginning, I was mentally disturbed, even walking into the field, "Thuy Linh shared with MetaSports after the match. According to the number one tennis player in Vietnam, playing at home in front of a large audience has created a lot of pressure with the mentality to win. In addition, there was the psychological impact of watching teammate Le Duc Phat strain to overcome Huang Yu Kai in the men's singles quarter-finals, as well as the strong wind that caused the overhead bridge to go up in game one.
"Thankfully, after that I overcame myself, my spirit improved so the shots were more accurate," she added. "After this match, I will work with a psychologist to adjust my state. I want to put all the anxiety and pressure away to fight the upcoming semi-final better."
Thuy Linh's next opponent is Hirari Mizui, a Japanese tennis player who is currently ranked 58 in the world and is the fourth seed of the tournament. At the encounter at the Belgian tournament in 2022, the victory belonged to Thuy Linh.
With the first seed Sim Yu Jin being eliminated early, Thuy Linh is the best candidate for the women's singles championship. Asked about this, she said: "I never thought about winning the championship. Thinking about it would be distracting, I wouldn't be able to play well. My goal is to go into the field with all my heart because of the colors of the flag, shirt and tribute. give to the audience and try to improve themselves bit by bit. Of course, everyone wants to be at the top when competing."
