Vietnamese Badminton Players Gear up for Iran Fajr International Challenge 2024
Ashley
Fri Feb 02 2024
In a surprising turn of events, Vietnamese badminton players Lê Đức Phát and Nguyễn Hải Đăng have adjusted their plans for the start of 2024. Instead of participating in the Indonesia Masters and Thailand Masters, both athletes have chosen to compete in the Fajr International Challenge in Iran. Let's take a closer look at their upcoming matches and expectations.
Lê Đức Phát, a talented military player, will be participating in the 32nd edition of the Fajr International Challenge held in Iran from January 30th to February 4th. Being seeded 9th, Phát will face off against Kuswanto from the UAE, who is ranked 320th in the world. It will be interesting to see Phát's performance as he makes his comeback after two months of recovery from an injury.
On the other hand, Nguyễn Hải Đăng has been seeded 13th in the tournament. His first-round opponent in the men's singles category will be Uma Maheshwar Reddy Gopireddy from India, currently ranked 896th in the world. Unfortunately, the well-known Vietnamese badminton couple, Nguyễn Tiến Minh and Vũ Thị Trang, will not be present in the Thailand Masters as planned. Meanwhile, Nguyễn Thùy Linh has decided to take a break and rest until after the Lunar New Year.
Coinciding with the Fajr International Challenge, the Thailand Masters 2024 will also take place from January 30th to February 4th, with some notable absences. The former number one player in the world, Kento Momota from Japan, and the reigning world champion, Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand, will both miss the men's singles category. Instead, Thai talent and three-time junior world champion Alwi Farhan will face veteran Mark Caljouw from the Netherlands in his third World Tour event.
Furthermore, Cheam June Wei will replace Kento Momota, Mithun Manjunath will substitute for Ng Tze Yong, and Jason Teh will take the place of the 4th seed, Kanta Tsuneyama. In the women's singles category, 2nd seed Pornpawee Chochuwong, 6th seed Yeo Jia Min, as well as Pitchamon Opatniputh, Aakarshi Kashyap, Clara Azurmendi, Goh Jin Wei, Putri Kusuma Wardani, Lalinrat Chaiwan, and Unnati Hooda have all withdrawn from the tournament.
The adjustment in plans of Lê Đức Phát and Nguyễn Hải Đăng to compete in the Fajr International Challenge 2024 in Iran brings new excitement to the badminton community. Fans eagerly await their performances as they face strong opponents in the tournament. At the same time, the absence of notable players from Thailand Masters adds an unexpected twist to the competition. Stay tuned for more updates and to witness the resilience and skills of Vietnamese badminton players.