Nguyen Tien Minh, Vietnam's main hope in the men's singles event at the international badminton championships Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open 2015. (Source: VNA)The International Badminton Championships Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open 2015 began on August 24 with qualifying matches.
In the men’s singles, Nguyen Dinh Tuan Kiet easily beat Tan Jin Yee of Malaysia 21-8, 21-10 to set up a second round match with Nguyen Hoang Nam on August 25.
Nam beat Iek U Leong of Macau 21-13, 21-14 in the first round.
The winner of the match between Kiet and Nam will enter the main draw.
Top contenders for the men’s singles include China’s Xue Song, who is ranked 17th in the world, Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia, the world’s 19th player, and Lee Hyun Il, from the Republic of Korea, the world No 24.
Ongbumrungpan Busanan, the world No 17, and Buranaprasertsuk Porntip, the world No 22, from Thailand, and Beatriz Corrales, the world No 23, from Spain, will be leading candidates for the title of the women’s singles.
The four-time champion Nguyen Tien Minh will be Vietnam’s biggest hope for the men’s singles event. Minh will play Liew Daren of Malaysia in the first round.
Vu Thi Trang, Vietnam’s top female player and a semi-finalist last year, will face the top seed Busanan in the first round.
The annual tournament, which will last until August 30, attracts more than 300 players from around the world and they will compete in five events: the men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.-VNA
