In Minh’s opening match of the tournament he faced Malaysian Pui Pang Fong and suffered a defeat in the first set with a score of 21-23.
Tien Minh went onto dominate the remainder of the game and trounced his opponent in the final two sets with scores of 21-11 and 21-9.
The Vietnamese player will meet Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia in the quarter final round on April 25. This tie presents a big challenge for Minh as Rhustavito is the world number 51 with Minh ranked 24 places below.
Nguyen Thuy Linh, another Vietnamese representative at the tournament, enjoyed victory in the first round after gaining victory over Yeung Sum Yee 21-12, 21-16. She will compete against Chinese player He Bingjiao in the quarter finals.
Minh’s wife Vu Thi Trang lost to Chen Yufei 8-21, 12-21 in the women’s singles. Do Tuan Duc and Pham Nhu Thao of Vietnam also suffered a loss against Rivandi and Mentari in the mixed doubles.
The first-ever Badminton Asia Championships was held in 1962 and has taken place annually since 1991. Tien Minh’s achievement of reaching the quarter-finals in 2011 remains the best ever performance of a Vietnamese player at the competition.
The tournament this year is set to last until April 28.
