Nguyen Hai Dang and Le Duc Phat Triumph in the First International Badminton Match of 2024
Trang Napie
Tue Feb 06 2024
The Fajr International Challenge 2024, held in Iran for the 32nd time, saw both Nguyen Hai Dang and Le Duc Phat secure victories in the Men's Singles Round 1. This year's tournament provides an opportunity for the Vietnamese shuttlers to contend for the sole spot in the Olympic Paris 2024.
Seeded 13th, Nguyen Hai Dang comfortably defeated India's Uma Maheshwar Reddy Gopireddy with a score of 21-9, 21-10 in the Round of 64. His next opponent in the Round of 32 will be Nima Rostampourlagaldani, a 21-year-old player from the host nation currently ranked 1057th in the world.
Meanwhile, Le Duc Phat, seeded 9th, conquered UAE's Kuswanto Kuswanto in a close match of 21-19, 21-8. In the Round of 32, Phat will face Ali Hayati, ranked 529th, representing Iran. Both Nguyen Hai Dang and Le Duc Phat are fiercely competing for Vietnam's sole spot in the Olympic Paris 2024. Currently, the advantage is leaning slightly towards military player Le Duc Phat, who is approximately 1000 points ahead and ranks 85th in the world, with aspirations for the 36th position on the journey to France. Nguyen Hai Dang currently holds the 93rd spot.
In the Thailand Masters 2024, Brian Yang, ranked 23rd globally from Canada, withdrew from the match against Israel's 45th-ranked Misha Zilberman when trailing 11-9 in the first game. Similarly, Kiran George from India also withdrew after losing the first game, despite having reached the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters 2024.
Nonetheless, prominent players have advanced to the second round. In the Men's Singles, Singapore's Loh Kean Yew, ranked 12th worldwide, and veteran Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei, ranked 14th, emerged victorious. In the Women's Singles, the race to Paris 2024 is highly intense among the Thai beauties. The 13th-ranked Ratchanok Intanon, 17th-ranked Supanida Katethong, and 19th-ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan all progressed to the next round. Making a breakthrough into the Olympics Paris 2024 seedings, Japan's 15th-ranked Aya Ohori also achieved a victory, posing a threat to Nguyen Thuy Linh's goal of securing a spot within the top 14.
Nguyen Hai Dang and Le Duc Phat showcased their talents with impressive wins in the first international badminton match of 2024. As they continue their journey towards Olympic Paris 2024, their performances will be closely monitored, and the competition within the tournament promises to intensify.