Thai Badminton's 'Gem' Surpasses Nguyen Thuy Linh on World Rankings

The world badminton rankings were updated most recently on March 24 according to Vietnam time.

Vietnam's number one badminton player - Nguyen Thuy Linh maintained her position in the rankings updated most recently by the BWF (Badminton World Federation) on March 24.

Accordingly, Thuy Linh remains ranked 26th in the world with improved points compared to last week. Specifically, the player from Phu Thọ accumulated an additional 850 points, now having 46,830 points.

Last week, Thuy Linh participated in the Super 300 Orleans Masters 2026 in France, where she advanced to the quarterfinals and only lost to former world number one from Japan - Nozomi Okuhara. That is why the "Vietnamese Badminton Beauty" gained nearly 1,000 valuable points to her existing point fund on the BWF rankings.

With the 26th world ranking, Thuy Linh currently ranks above many notable names in world badminton, including her close friend Zhang Beiwen (rank 28), Yeo Jia Min (rank 32), and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (rank 46). However, the player under Dong Nai's roster has also officially been surpassed on the rankings by Thai badminton prodigy - Pitchamon Opatniputhon the rankings.

Pitchamon also competed in the Orleans Masters last week, where she performed exceptionally well and earned the runner-up title. On her path to the final, "Pink" defeated several formidable opponents like Chiu Pin-chian, Pai Yu-po, and Rinko Gunji before losing to Okuhara - who eliminated Thuy Linh in the quarterfinals.

The silver medal in France helped Pitchamon advance strongly on the world rankings. Thai badminton's gem rose 4 places to rank 23rd in the world, now having 48,438 points - 1,608 points more than Thuy Linh.

After concluding her journey in France, Pitchamon Opatniputh will have considerable rest time before participating in the Thailand Open at home. Meanwhile, Nguyen Thuy Linh will also focus on recovering her physical strength to prepare for the Asian Championships held in Ningbo, China from April 7 to April 12. The player born in 1997 is not participating in the ongoing Ciputra Hanoi tournament this week.