National Team Badminton Championship 2024: Hai Phong Tests Ho Chi Minh City
Conor Hudson
Tue May 14 2024
The National Team Badminton Championship for the year 2024, competing for the LI-NING Cup VIII, kicked off today, May 13. Following the opening ceremony at the multi-purpose sports arena of Bac Giang province, the competition saw its initial matches unfold. While there were no major upsets, the matches were far from smooth sailing.
In the lone women's team match of the day, Hai Phong narrowly lost to Ho Chi Minh City with a close score of 2-3 in group A. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh's victory over Nguyen Thuy Kim Hang in the third singles match posed a significant threat to the red phoenix land players. If they were to win the subsequent doubles match, they could have exerted immense pressure on their opponents after Vu Thi Anh Thu and Vu Thi Trang secured victories in the first two singles matches.
At this point, Ho Chi Minh City fielded their top duo, Vu Thi Anh Thu and Vu Thi Trang, against Mai Thi Thanh Ngan and Pham Thi Ngoc Mai to secure an overall victory. Nonetheless, Hai Phong later proved their mettle by applying pressure on their opponents as Nguyen Thi Giang and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh defeated Huynh Khanh My and Le Ngoc Van.
In the men's team group A, Hanoi defeated Dong Nai 5-0. Tran Le Manh An, seen as Dong Nai's biggest hope, couldn't withstand Nguyen Tien Tuan, dashing Dong Nai's surprising comeback hopes.
In group B men's team matches, the military team succumbed to Ho Chi Minh City 0-5 partly due to withholding strong players like Le Duc Phat. Nguyen Hai Dang secured an easy win, Tran Hoang Kha claimed a crucial second victory against Thai Anh Khoa, and Phan Phuc Thinh ensured Ho Chi Minh City's resounding victory without concerning themselves with the doubles results.
In the remaining group B match, Hai Phong initially appeared to stun Lam Dong after Le Minh Son's opening win. However, with Dong Quang Huy and Nguyen Dinh Hoang's capabilities in both singles and doubles matches, Lam Dong fought back to lead 2-1 before their strong doubles pairs clinched a 4-1 victory.
The National Team Badminton Championship 2024 for the LI-NING Cup VIII is broadcast live on the YouTube channel webthethaovn, providing viewers with the full spectrum of emotions. Stay tuned to webthethao.vn for all the thrilling updates.