Although Thuy Linh currently ranks 18th in the world, her final was expected to be much tougher than the semifinal. Cai Yanyan, despite being ranked 107th globally, was once considered one of China's most promising badminton talents, previously climbing as high as world No. 14.

As anticipated, Cai Yanyan showcased her all-around skills and unpredictable playing style right from the first set, leaving Thuy Linh struggling to respond. The Chinese player surged to a 14-6 lead and closed out the set 21-17, despite a late comeback attempt from Linh.

In the second set, Thuy Linh returned with renewed energy, pressing her opponent with sharp, aggressive rallies and pulling ahead 7-3. Cai Yanyan committed more errors early in the set, giving Linh a potential opening to equalize the match. However, leveraging her experience and composure, Cai quickly recovered, closed the gap, and dragged the game into a tense, point-by-point battle.

Despite saving two championship points, Thuy Linh couldn't stop her opponent from edging ahead to win the set 23-21. With a 2-0 overall victory, Cai Yanyan was crowned the new champion.

The loss means Vietnam’s badminton “hot girl” was unable to complete her goal of winning the Vietnam Open title for the fourth consecutive time.

Duy Nguyen