Vietnam loses to Pakistan in Junior Davis Cup

Vietnam’s U16 tennis team on February 27 missed out on a first-place finish in the Junior Davis Cup after losing 0-2 to Pakistan in the semi-finals qualifying round of the tourney.

In the initial singles match of the tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Minh Tri succumbed quickly and lost to Mudassar Murtaza 0-2.

Tri’s teammate Dac Tien made a strong showing winning out overrival Muhammed Muzahid in the first set but then lost 2-6 in the second.

Vietnam will face off againstKazakhstan in the semi-final match for the third place on February 28.

Previously, the team received a reward worth US$1,000 from the Vietnam Tennis Federation for their good performance in the first four matches.

Tien Minh remains 8th in world badminton ratings

Top Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh maintained his 8th position in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.

Minh’s successful performance at recent competitions raised his total points to 57,236, elevating him to a top seed in upcoming Super Series tourneys.

Minh has been seeded No.8 at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2014, scheduled for Birmingham City of England from March 3-9.

The top 10 badminton players on the world’s list remained unchanged, with Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia ranking first, followed by Chen Long from China.

Vietnam Olympic website launches English version

The Vietnam Olympic Committee’s website officially placed an upgraded English version into operation on February 27.

Through the portal at http://www.voc.org.vn, viewers can now access updated sports information in English and share their opinions directly with the Committee.

It is expected to contribute to creating increased social and international support for the development of the Vietnam Olympics.

The portal originally started in 2003 to meet the demand for information exchange among international sports organizations and national Olympic committees, as a better way to  popularize Vietnam’s sports achievements to its fans at home and abroad.

Chess grandmaster Liem to defend his title

Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem will defend his title at the HD Bank International Chess Championships 2014 in HCM City, slated to be held on March 9-16.

The world blitz champion will be the highest-ranked player in the tournament. Besides Liem, other renowned players, such as Ni Hua and Lu Shanglei of China; Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Dao Thien Hai of Viet Nam; Zhang Zhong of Singapore and Shyam Sundar of India, will also participate in the event.

The 9-round (Swiss system style) championship will offer US$35,000 in prizes. Currently, 87 players from 16 countries have agreed to participate. Among them are 10 grandmasters.

This year's winner will win $12,000. The second and third prizes are worth $5,000 and $3,000 respectively. –

Minh to compete in Malaysian Grand Prix

Viet Nam's top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh will compete in the 2014 Yonex-Sunrise Malaysia Grand Prix Gold to take place between March 25-30.

Minh, who won bronze at the World Badminton Championship in 2013, is scheduled to later compete in India's Open Super Series on April 1-6.

Earlier next month, the HCM City-born player is also expected to take part in the 2014 All England Super Series Premier on March 4-9.

Thanh Hoa hit a six to top V-League

Thanh Hoa continued their winning streak in the V-League after defeating Dong Tam Long An 2-1 yesterday on their home turf in Thanh Hoa City.

Despite playing without key players Nguyen Rogerio and Nastja Ceh, they had no difficulty in setting up their shadows over Long An, who have not won a match in the national premier league, even as five of their first team players were absent because of injuries and cards.

Nghiem Xuan Tu opened the scoring at the 20th minute by converting a penalty kick into the opening goal for the host.

Coach Mai Duc Chung strengthened his team with several changes in the second half. The substitutes brought fresh air to the entire team, who had their double 20 minutes after the break.

Le Van Tan broke into Long An's tired defence to knock out goalie Nguyen Huynh Quoc Cuong on a straight shoot.

The score should have been different had Tan and his teammates not wasted too many threatening opportunities in the following quarter of the game.

Playing in defence, Long An found a narrowing goal at the 84th minute when Thanh Hoa players lost their focus as the match approached the end.

Tran Hoai Nam made a close-range header due to his team's rapid counter-attack.

The goal marked the visitors' final attempt, before they accepted their fourth loss after seven rounds this season.

Thanh Hoa, meanwhile, enjoyed their sixth win in a row, being the only team that has not been defeated.

They are now firmly on top of the ranking table with 19 points, five more than runner-up Quang Ninh Coal, who yesterday beat Dong Nai 3-1.

Nguyen Hai Huy scored a double for the host, while Vu Minh Tuan made it 3-0 before Nguyen Hai Anh stole the only goal at the 78th minute for the host.

The eighth round of the league will kick off March 15-16. 

VNA/VNS/Nhandan/VOV