VietNamNet Bridge – Top Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam has emerged as both the men's singles and doubles champion of the 25th Sarawak Chief Minister's Cup (I) ITF Junior Tennis Championship (Grade 1) in Malaysia.



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Ly Hoang Nam (second left) and Lim Alberto of the Philippines (second right) pose with the men's doubles trophy at the 25th Sarawak Chief Minister's Cup (I) ITF Junior Tennis Championship (Grade 1) in Malaysia. — Photo tennishouse.com

 

 

 

This is the first time that a Vietnamese player won a Grade 1 international tournament.

In the men's singles final yesterday (March 22), Nam, who holds the 46th position in world rankings, defeated South Korea's Oh Chan-yeong, who ranks number 31, two sets to none (6-3, 6-0).

"I am very happy with this achievement. This marks a stage of great progress for my career," he was quoted as saying by online newspaper vnexpress.net.

To prepare for the final match, Nam and his Swedish coach, Christian Brydniak, drew up a detailed plan, which paid off.

To advance to the final, Nam, who is seeded No 4, bested 6th seed Soon Woo-kwon of South Korea in the men's singles semi-final.

In addition, Nam and Lim Alberto of the Philippines won the men's doubles trophy after defeating the Chinese duo of Wu Hao and Wu Yibing 2-0 (7-6, 6-2) in the final.

Earlier, Nam and Alberto, who is seeded number 5, had crushed top seed Soon Woo-kwon and Oh Chan-yeong in the men's doubles semi-final.

With these victories, Nam will accumulate 100 points and will most likely rank among the top 30 junior players in the world.

Yesterday afternoon, the 18-year-old, along with his team from Viet Nam, gathered to prepare for the Asia/Oceania Zone Group III matches for the Davis Cup 2015 on Wednesday.

"After the Davis Cup, I will train hard to improve my serve to compete in upcoming international events," Nam added.

He will also be a key player on the national team, which is set to compete in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June in Singapore.

Earlier this year, the young tennis star had reached the second round of the Australian Open Junior Championships and advanced to the finals at the Chang Thailand ITF Junior G1.

VNS