Hoang Nam in the world’s top 100 after Thailand win

October 29, 2013 | 10:22

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Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam, 16, won the championship title at the Chang-LTAF Juniors G2 tournament held in Thailand yesterday, and is now considered one of the top 100 youth tennis players in the world.

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Ly Hoang Nam won the championship title at the Chang-LTAF Juniors G2 tournament held in Thailand yesterday

Nam beat first seed Boris Pokotilov of Russia 2-0 in the final match of the event sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), earning 100 points that put him in the top 100 of youth tennis players in the world. Before the win, Nam ranked 142nd in the world.

Nam was left behind 3-1 and then 5-3 in the first set with Pokotilov, who is ranked 103rd in the world. Nam came from behind to earn three wins in a row to lead it 6-5 before Pokotilov leveled it 6-6.

Nam broke the tie and won 7-6 thanks to his logistical tactics. He served strong strikes to push his rival back to the end of the court and then made short passing shots near the net to score points.

His tactics forced Pokotilov to run around the court and consequentially suffer from a leg injury in the second set that allowed Nam to win by default.

Nam’s win earned him 100 points, granting him a spot in the world’s top 100 youth tennis players. The world rankings will be officially released next week. This is the first time a Vietnamese youth has won an ITF tournament.

Yesterday, Nam flew to South Korea to take part in the Lee Duk Hee Cup, another tournament sanctioned by the ITF, beginning October 29.

Tuoi Tre

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