Thuc Phuong Nguyen won her first match of the day at the 2019 European U17 Championships.

German Thuc Phuong Nguyen is the big favourite in the women’s singles category at the Championships in Poland. On Wednesday morning we had the best possible start.

The top seed won in straight games, 21-8 21-6, against Luna Saban from Croatia.

Want a medal
Germany had a disappointing team event in Gniezno, and the German team did not qualify for the knockout stage. Now Nguyen is ready for revenge.

- It was good to start the tournament with an easy match and prepare for the next round. After the team event we were quite disappointed. We just wanted to focus on the individual tournament, and I think that it was a good start, Nguyen said.

The 16-year-old knows that all eyes are on her, but she does not feel any pressure.

- I want to play my best. Of course, I want to get a medal, but I want to focus on playing my matches and not think too much about the result, she said.

In the third round Nguyen will play Anna Tatranova from France.