China Masters: Nguyen Hands Marin Shock Defeat
World No.22 Nguyen Thuy Linh caused a stir at the LI-NING China Masters 2023 today, beating fifth seed Carolina Marin in the opening round.
· DEV SUKUMAR
In what was their first meeting, the Vietnamese showed no sign of being intimidated by the higher-ranked Marin, and kept her nerve at tense moments, showing great defensive abilities to thwart Marin’s attack. She fought off a 9-13 deficit in the third and it was level pegging at 15-all, after which Marin suddenly appeared to lose the plot and Nguyen came away victorious with the last six points in succession: 10-21 21-19 21-15. The win will count as the biggest of her career, although she has beaten other top players like Michelle Li and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung this year.
“I just wanted to try my best and I knew she would attack a lot, so I had to defend and be patient and follow her speed,” said the Vietnamese.
“I never thought I could beat her, I thought I’d try my best when I’m on court. I want to thank everyone who helped me. I will try my best for every match.”