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Vietnam's Minh Triumphs in Home Open
Vietnam's top player Nguyen Tien Minh delighted his home fans when he won the men's singles title at the Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City.
| The world number 17 overcame tough opposition from Hong Kong's 26th-ranked Chan Yan-kit to win 24-22, 21-18 in the final.
Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Minh was determined to make the most of his chance to shine in front of his home fans at the Phan Dinh Phung Sports Hall. And he did not disappoint as he won the first prize of US$3,750 in addition to $882 from the HCMC Badminton Federation, $588 from the Vietnam Badminton Federation and $1,000 from his sponsor Robot. The victory was his third of the year, having also won the Viet Nam Challenge - Robot Cup and the Macau Grand Prix tournament. Those triumphs have helped him boost his world ranking from 24 to 17. There was glory for Singapore in the women's singles competition, where Zhang Beiwen scored a three-game victory over her compatriot Xing Aiying. Zhang recovered from a thrashing in the first game to eventually overhaul Xing 11-21, 21-19, 22-20, with the final game going right down to the wire. Malaysia's back-up pairing of Chong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah emerged triumphant in the men's doubles competition. They took the title with a 21-14, 21-10 victory over the Indonesian duo of Fran Kurniawan and Wijaya Rendra. Indonesia didn't go home empty-handed, though, as Irawati Shendy Puspa and Jauhari Meiliana beat Singaporeans Suri Shina Mulia and Yao Lei 21-16, 19-21, 21-11 in the women's doubles. The six-day tournament, offering $50,000 in prize money is part of Badminton World Federation's Grand Prix circuit and attracted 159 players from 11 countries, with 40 representing home nation Vietnam. Badminton is gaining popularity in Vietnam, especially with the likes of Minh doing well in international tournaments. He was Vietnam's key badminton representative at the Beijing Olympic Games in August and is one of the leading sports stars in the country. The Vietnam Open is one of the main vehicles used to popularise the sport in the country and the national federation is hoping that the event can be upgraded in status to offer more prize money and attract bigger stars. |
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