Chapter 22 — Bridge Yard Beats

The quarterfinals took place in the main Olympic stadium, with a capacity of tens of thousands of spectators almost full, creating a passionate atmosphere unprecedented in the playing careers of both Vy and Long. The opponents — the number one seeded pair from Indonesia — walked onto the field with the confidence of the current world champions.

In the first set, as expected, the opponents showed superior class with delicate handling and extensive experience helping them completely control the pace of the match. Vy and Long, despite fighting hard, still lost by a clear margin; small mistakes were continuously exploited by their opponents.

During the break between two sets, Coach Kiet approached, his eyes still maintaining the necessary calm even though the situation was not very positive. "Don't let the pressure from your opponent's reputation make you lose confidence," he said. "They are only human, they also have weaknesses that can be exploited. Focus on each point, don't think about the entire match."

Vy took a deep breath, trying to regain her concentration, which had been somewhat shaken after the difficult first set. Long gently held her hand, his eyes conveying a silent but powerful encouragement.

In the second set, the Vietnamese couple played with a completely different spirit - calmer, more decisive, no longer overwhelmed by their opponent's reputation. Each score gradually accumulated, and with the enthusiastic cheers from the stands, where many Vietnamese audiences flew to the place to support, Vy and Long gradually regained the necessary confidence.

"Vietnam! Vietnam!" The shouts echoed from a corner of the stands, where the Vietnamese fans were enthusiastically cheering, adding great spiritual strength to the couple playing on the field.

The second set ended with a victory in favor of Vietnam, an unexpected result that made the whole stadium excited. The Indonesian pair, for the first time in the tournament, faced a deciding set against a much younger opponent.

The third set took place in a breathtakingly tense atmosphere, each point was fought fiercely by both sides. Vy clearly felt the enormous pressure weighing on her shoulders, but every time she glanced at Long, the determination in his eyes gave her the strength to continue fighting until her last breath.

The two sides chased closely throughout the entire set, neither side willing to give way. The ball plays lasted for dozens of consecutive responses, causing the audience to constantly stand up and applaud. At point twenty, the score was still absolutely balanced, forcing the match into the final decisive dispute.

In a tense phase, the Indonesian opponent made a dangerous smash aimed straight at the furthest corner of the field. Long, with reflexes trained through thousands of hours of practice, rushed to the rescue in a position almost lying close to the court, pushing the ball up high enough for Vy to handle next.

Not missing the opportunity, Vy jumped and made a decisive shot right at the net, the ball crashed straight into the corner of the opponent's court at a speed that the opponent could not react to. The referee raised his hand to confirm the score, putting the Vietnamese couple ahead in the final decisive points.

The stands seemed to explode with cheers, especially from the corner of the stands where the Vietnamese fans were constantly waving flags and shouting and cheering. With a psychological advantage and rising confidence, Vy and Long continued to maintain stable performance, gaining important points to officially close the match with a convincing final victory.

When the referee officially announced the result, the whole stadium burst into tears. Vy and Long stood still for a moment, unable to believe what had just happened, before simultaneously rushing to hug each other, tears of happiness rolling down both of their cheeks.

"We just beat the world champion!" Vy screamed, her voice choked with extreme emotion, almost unable to believe her own ears. "We really did it!"

"I can't believe it," Long replied, his voice also shaking with overwhelming emotion, clasping her in his arms proudly. "We have reached the Olympic semi-finals, Vy!"

The Indonesian couple, although unable to hide their disappointment at the unexpected defeat, still maintained a noble sportsmanship spirit and approached to shake hands and congratulate their potential young opponent. "You guys deserve this victory," the male athlete said, his voice sincere even though he couldn't hide his regret. "I believe, the future of world badminton will see many great things from you."

On the stage, coach Kiet and Mr. Trinh Bao Son hugged each other in uncontrollable joy, unable to hide the rarely seen tears of happiness. Tram, standing nearby, could not hold back her emotions, clapping nonstop at the unprecedented historic achievement in Vietnamese badminton history.

"This is the most miraculous thing I have ever witnessed in my entire coaching career," Coach Kiet said, his voice choked up as he hugged and congratulated both students right after the match. "You have written history."

News of this shocking victory immediately spread around the world, appearing on the front pages of many international sports newspapers. "The biggest shock of the tournament" - a title written in English that Long read right on the phone as he left the field, unable to hide his proud smile.

At home, the whole country seemed to explode with joy. Coffee shops and public places with large screens were filled with people watching the match live via livestream, cheers echoed throughout the streets when the referee declared victory for the Vietnamese couple.

Vy's mother, Nguyen and the whole small village where the family lived, gathered in front of the neighbor's TV screen to watch this historic match together. When the final whistle blew, the whole small neighborhood burst into cheers, Vy's mother hugged her familiar neighbors, tears of happiness continued to flow.

"My daughter just beat the world champion!" she shouted proudly, her voice unable to hide her extreme emotion at her daughter's extraordinary achievement.

That evening, after completing mandatory doping testing procedures according to Olympic regulations, Vy and Long had time to call home and share the joy of victory with their families. The call lasted more than an hour, filled with laughter and happy tears from both sides.

"I'm so proud of you, my daughter," Vy's mother said, her voice still shaking with emotion even though the match ended many hours ago. "I never imagined that one day I would see my daughter defeat the world champion."

"I don't dare believe it's true, mom," Vy replied, the happy smile still on her lips. "But regardless of the result of the upcoming semi-final, I am satisfied with what I achieved."

After the call, the whole team held a small celebratory dinner, although still maintaining the necessary moderation before the upcoming semi-finals. In that warm atmosphere, coach Kiet announced the next opponent - the number two seeded couple of the tournament, from Japan, an equally formidable opponent.

"We have one more match to get on the podium to receive a medal," he said, his eyes full of seriousness but also unable to hide his pride. "No matter what the result, you have guaranteed the Vietnamese team at least a bronze medal - an unprecedented historical achievement."

That information made both Vy and Long emotional. Just a few months ago, they were two rivals on the singles court, never thinking about the possibility of playing together. Now, they have officially brought home the first Olympic medal in the history of Vietnamese mixed doubles badminton, an achievement that no one, including themselves, dared to dream of when they started this arduous journey.

"Miss Tram is right," Vy whispered to Long as they both looked back at the video recording the moment of victory before going to bed. "Sometimes, the most seemingly impossible combinations create the most magical things."

"And I believe, this is just the beginning," Long replied, softly kissing her forehead before they both fell asleep, preparing themselves for the challenging semi-finals that lay ahead, a match they both knew would be tougher than anything they had ever experienced before.