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Vietnam’s badminton ace Nguyen Tien Minh clinched his first International Challenge title of the year after beating top seed Misha Zilberman 21-18, 25-23 in the men’s singles final at the Lagos International Classics 2019 in Nigeria on July 27. |
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Nguyen Tien Minh has won three international titles so far this year. 36-year-old Tien Minh previously defeated the Israeli opponent at the 2011 BWF World Championships, but the Vietnamese star headed into the Saturday meeting as the underdog due to his lower world ranking, old age and poorer form. En route to the final match, Zilberman (world no. 44) only dropped one set in the opening round, and claimed comfortable wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Meanwhile, no. 2 seed Tien Minh (world no. 59) was forced to the third set twice, with hard-fought victories. The title clash between the top two players of the tournament took place with a high level of tension and thrill. However, Tien Minh was the better in decisive moments and clinched the overall trophy after more than one hour of fierce competition. This is the third international title that Tien Minh has pocketed so far this year, following his two consecutive International Series triumphs in New Zealand three months ago. In addition, he blasted his way to a bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Wuhan, China. Earlier, Tien Minh outclassed Mohmed Misbun (world no. 249) and no. 3 seed Teck Zhi Soo (world no. 69), both from Malaysia, in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. |
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