Minh seeded No.2 at Australian Badminton Open

Leading Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh has been confirmed as the second seed at the Yonex Australian Badminton Open, only preceded by Malaysian World No.1 Lee Chong Wei.

Leading Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh has been confirmed as the second seed at the Yonex Australian Badminton Open, only preceded by Malaysian World No.1 Lee Chong Wei.

The event, held in Sydney from April 2–7, has gathered a talented field of competitors including Malaysia’s Daren Lew and Wei Feng Chong (seeded third and fourth), Indonesia’s Simon Santoso and Taufik Hydayat (seeded fifth and sixth), Chinese seventh seed Huan Gao, and eigth seed Jen Hao Hsu from Taiwan (China).

Minh is an overwhelming favourite to defeat Malaysia’s Iskandar Zulkarnain Zianuddin in his first match of the tournament. At the 2012 Chinese Taipei Open he dominated Iskandar 2-0, their only previous encounter.

There is some concern that Minh’s recent injury—responsible for his absence from the national squad at last March’s Indonesian/Malaysian Axiata Cup—could negatively impact his performance.