Vietnam's leading female badminton player, Nguyen Thuy Linh, has continued her remarkable performance by defeating India's 19-year-old Unnati Hooda 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2026 Taiwan Open, held on August 1. Hooda, who was born in 2007 in Haryana, India, is the third seed in the tournament and is recognized as a prodigy in Indian badminton, having made her national team debut at just 15 years old during the Uber Cup. She has won three Super 100 Tour titles and reached a career-high ranking of 19 in the world as of May 2026.

In their semifinal match, Nguyen Thuy Linh had never faced Hooda before but was well aware of her playing style. Despite being the sixth seed, Linh initially fell behind but quickly adapted her strategy, playing deep shots and controlling the net effectively. This approach allowed her to take the lead at 11-6 in the first set. After a brief timeout, Linh continued her impressive scoring streak, extending her lead to 14-7 and eventually winning the first set 21-15.

In the second set, Hooda came out aggressively, taking an early lead of 5-1 and later 8-4. However, Linh demonstrated her resilience and tactical awareness by placing difficult shots into Hooda's weaker side, allowing her to close the gap to 10-11. Although Hooda surged ahead again to lead 16-11, Linh showcased her best badminton skills, scoring points consistently. From being five points down, Linh fought back to tie the game at 18-18 and then secured three consecutive points to win the second set 21-18, clinching her spot in the finals after a 41-minute match.

Nguyen Thuy Linh is not only Vietnam's top female badminton player but also a seven-time consecutive national champion. She has won the Vietnam Open three times in a row since 2022 and has represented Vietnam in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. In the Super 300 category, she has finished as a runner-up four times at various international tournaments, including the German Open and Canada Open.

The Taiwan Open is part of the BWF World Tour Super 300 and takes place at the Taipei Arena from July 28 to August 2, with a total prize pool of $250,000. Besides Linh, Vietnam's Vu Thi Trang and the duo of Nguyen Dinh Hoang and Tran Dinh Manh also participated but were eliminated early in the tournament. Following the Taiwan Open, Linh will compete in the Korea Masters Super 300 and the World Championships in India from August 17 to 23, before returning to Vietnam to prepare for the 20th Asian Games in Japan in September.