On the afternoon of July 22, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) released its updated rankings, marking the first time Nguyen Thuy Linh - who hails from Dong Nai - has entered the top 20 and now stands at No.18 globally.

Earlier in 2025, Thuy Linh had dropped to 35th in the world. However, she made a remarkable comeback thanks to a string of strong performances this year, including reaching the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters and Malaysia Masters, finishing runner-up at both the German Open and Canada Open.

In the latest BWF rankings, Thuy Linh maintained her total of 49,550 points from the previous week. However, her ranking improved due to point losses from two rivals: Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt held steady at 19th, while Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan dropped five places to 20th. As a result, Thuy Linh rose two spots, from 20th to 18th, setting a new milestone for Vietnamese women’s badminton.

This new ranking not only marks Thuy Linh’s personal best but also sets a national record as the highest ever achieved by a Vietnamese female player in singles competition.

Back in October 2023, Thuy Linh had already made history as the first Vietnamese woman to break into the world’s top 20 by reaching 20th. That performance surpassed the previous best set by Vu Thi Trang, who once ranked 34th.

Meanwhile, Vu Thi Trang has also moved up one spot, now ranked 155th in BWF women’s singles.

In the men’s singles category, Nguyen Hai Dang remains the highest-ranked Vietnamese male player, holding steady at world No.60. Just behind him is Le Duc Phat at No.61.

PV