VietNamNet Bridge – Defeating his French rival on August 12, Vietnam’s leading badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh entered the round for the top 16 players of the World Badminton Championship 2009 in India.

Tien Minh will play against Lee Chong Wei, the world’s number-one player, who was unexpectedly trounced by Tien Minh at the Singapore Super Series 2009 two months ago.

The Vietnamese player entered the 1/16 round after his Hungarian opponent retired in his first match. In his second match against the world’s 41^st-ranked player, Brice Leverdez from France, Tien Minh needed only 31 minutes to win 2-0 (21-14, 21-16).

Today, August 13, he will face the tournament’s 1^st seed and the world’s top player, Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia.

Tien Minh is now in good shape and positive. He was the champion of the Thailand Open Badminton Tournament in late July and entered the world’s top ten players.

The World Badminton Championship 2009 in India attracts 64 male players. This is a very important event of the year, which can bring about high bonus points for the winners. Entering the round of 16 best players is a big opportunity for Tien Minh to improve his position in the world rankings.

PV