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Nguyen Minh Phat (right) receives the award with Pham La Hoang Anh. |
After Pham La Hoang Anh, a tennis player from Hai Dang Tay Ninh Club, secured victory in the men's doubles event, tennis player Nguyen Minh Phat from Ho Chi Minh City carried on the winning streak by clinching the men's singles title. Their achievements contributed significantly to Vietnam's resounding success at the recently concluded ITF U18 J60 Nonthaburi 2023 Tennis Tournament in Thailand.
After an excellent performance, Pham La Hoang Anh secured a convincing 2-0 victory (7/5, 6/3) over the second-seeded Shukuda from Japan, earning a spot in the final where he faced Nguyen Minh Phat, who also emerged triumphant with a 2-0 win (6/2, 6/4) against Japan's Hyu Kawanish in the other semifinal match.
The final is a showdown between two 16-year-old Vietnamese rising tennis stars, Pham La Hoang Anh and Nguyen Minh Phat. These two players have encountered each other multiple times in national youth tennis tournaments, with Pham La Hoang Anh holding a slight edge in their head-to-head record, having four wins and one loss.
Despite being considered the “favorite," Pham La Hoang Anh faces a physical stamina disadvantage as the player from Hai Dang Tay Ninh Club had to endure a grueling schedule of nine matches in five days to reach the final in two events.
In contrast, Nguyen Minh Phat was eliminated in the opening match of the men's doubles event, which allowed the tennis player from Hung Thinh Club to concentrate all his efforts on the men's singles event. Due to previous defeats against Hoang Anh, Nguyen Minh Phat considered himself the "underdog" and, as a result, put in even more determination. Nguyen Minh Phat showcased an exceptional performance, consistently executing accurate shots on the court.
Right from the first set, Minh Phat showcased his dominance by securing two breaks of serve, resulting in a comfortable 6/1 victory. The momentum carried into the second set, where Minh Phat continued to outperform his opponent, earning another break and ultimately winning with a score of 6/4.
With a convincing 2-0 triumph (6/1, 6/4) over Pham La Hoang Anh, Nguyen Minh Phat became the champion of the ITF U18 J60 Nonthaburi 2023 Tennis Tournament. Following this event, the young Vietnamese tennis players will remain in Thailand to compete in another tournament commencing on Monday, June 26.
