Pickleball

Duo Andrei Daescu and Phúc Huỳnh in action during the men's doubles match against Tyson McGuffin and Jack Socks, during the Rise with the Flames's MLP competition. — Photos courtesy of Pink Tour

HÀ NỘI — The international team beat the hosts 4-2 in their friendly Major League Pickleball (MLP) event during the world leading players' tour to Việt Nam on April 15 in Hà Nội.

The 'Rise with the Flames' tournament, brought some notable pickleball names, including men's doubles number one seed Andrei Daescu, who also enjoyed being seeing Việt Nam as a tourist for the first time.

Other star players include Jack Sock, Tyson McGuffin, Jessie Irvine, Pesa Teoni and Eugenie Bouchard, coming to a country where pickleball is one of the fastest growing games in the world.

Players travelled around the capital on April 12, before arriving in Ninh Bình and Quảng Ninh the following day, where they played matches at the Tràng An Landscape Complex and at courts in Hạ Long Bay, two UNESCO heritages of Việt Nam.

World pickleball players in Tràng An Complex in Ninh Bình Province.

Once back in Hà Nội, they created some exciting matches, with many local fans going crazy at the Đại Kim Complex.

Among the clashes, Daescu/Phúc Huỳnh defeated McGuffin/Socks 7-5; Lý Hoàng Nam/Trịnh Linh Giang lost 0-7 to Teoni/Vuk Velickovic; and Irvine/Bouchard won 7-3 over Alex Truong/Dana Funaro.

It is the first time Romanian Daescu has been to Việt Nam. Before pickleball he played tennis, competing in several Grand Slams. Since switching to the new sport, he has secured 26 golds from Professional Pickleball Association's events, including one world championship.

Bouchard, formerly a famous tennis player in Canada, was ranked number five in the world and a regular face at Grand Slams. She is currently ranked number 15 in the pickleball world.

McGuffin was the first player securing the Triple Crown of pickleball in 2023. He was in Việt Nam two weeks ago, along with tennis legend Andre Agassi, at the JOOLA 2025 Pickleball Legends Tour across Asia.

In the host's side, Nam is national former top tennis player who played at Wimbledon and who has decided to pause his tennis career temporally to test his skills in pickleball.

After Hà Nội, the group is moving to HCM City, for more activities April 16-18. VNS