Pickleball

Tống Nhật Minh proves his prowess in pickleball. Photo courtesy of Đức Thuận

Thanh Hà

Tống Nhật Minh and his father were both excited to hear about the first ever PPA Tour Asian pickleball tournament, to take place in Việt Nam in September.

Playing on home ground would be a great advantage for Minh to collect his second continental title after being the first-ever Vietnamese player to win Asian gold in July in Malaysia.

"Yes, we will definitely take part in the tournament and our target is nothing less than gold," said Tống Đức Thuận, father and manager of the Vietnamese teenage champion.

After winning many local tournaments, the first major international title at the Panas Malaysia Open 2025 was a strong push for Minh on his way to the global stage, and winning in Việt Nam would prove his great efforts.

Minh was introduced to and practised different sports when he was a little boy. In that exciting world, the toddler chose the table tennis racket as his best friend.

"My father has let me play table tennis since I was three. Later on, no matter what sport I wanted to play, he always agreed and gave me best conditions to follow my hobbies," Minh told Việt Nam News.

"I had opportunities to try many sports such as badminton, football, basketball and later pickleball. Table tennis is the one that I have practised the longest."

Minh has won around 50 medals in different levels of competitions before earning two bronzes in national events for the juniors.

Pickleball was strongly developing in Việt Nam, and his father persuaded the 17-year-old to try it. Minh at first was not intrigued because he was so involved in table tennis.

Tống Nhật Minh (left) and teammate Lê Xuân Đức seen playing in a tournament in Việt Nam. Photo of Phạm Huyền

However, to make his father happy, he took on some sessions and gradually fell in love with pickleball.

"I felt sorry because my 10 years with table tennis could be wasted. But later I found that my table tennis background helped in my pickleball playing really well," said Minh.

Specialising in doubles event, Minh and his teammates have won a number of titles in junior tournaments such as the HCM City Open, D-Joy and AFP Junior 2025.

At the senior level, he also took first in the Astra Open Đồng Nai and Open Ti911 Sóc Trăng, along with top-three finishes in many other events.

Among these achievements, a win over Asia's top two, Phúc Huỳnh and Đỗ Minh Quân, made a big bang in the pickleball community.

"Defeating them was a key point in my career. That made me confident that I could play pickleball well. So I practised harder to achieve even better results in the future," said Minh.

Asian history

He didn't have to wait for too long. On July 5, Minh and teammate Lê Xuân Đức made history as they were the first champions of the Panas Malaysia Open's U18 doubles category.

The Vietnamese duo made a thrilling comeback in the final match against Irfan and Ithan Kamil from Malaysia.

It was a tense and high-pressure final. Đức and Minh didn't work well early in the match, while the Malaysians were at their peak. The Vietnamese lost 1-11 in the first set and called a time-out when behind 5-0 in the second.

"We decided to change our tactics, trying to be more proactive in attacking. Luckily, it worked and we overturned the game and won," said Minh.

"This was the first time I had participated in an international tournament abroad. I never met most of my opponents before. Many of them had higher rating points than mine."

Tống Nhật Minh (right) and teammate Lê Xuân Đức are Việt Nam's first PPA Tour Asia U18 doubles champions. Photo of Đức Thuận

"I came to this tournament to learn and try to have the best results possible, but I didn't dare to think about winning the championship. I am really happy and proud because all my hard work and practice brought good results," said Minh, who also grabbed a silver in the singles class.

Coach Marcel Chan said his athlete was talented and could reach a higher level in the near future.

"Minh's strengths are a unique combination of shot making ability, quick reflexes and a cool competitive demeanour," Chan told Việt Nam News.

"His eagerness to improve on a daily basis and analytical mind make him both a dangerous competitor on the court and also a dream student to have, as he is self-motivated and always looking to improve his craft."

"Minh needs to develop better explosiveness, agility and more ways to hurt his opponent. He also needs to develop as a complete player, being a threat on both the right and left side of the court, especially for mixed doubles, and also a dynamic mover on the singles court."

It was good if Minh could regularly compete in competitions around and above his level, Chan said. Playing against strong rivals would help sharpen his skills. At 17, Minh had a bright future in pickleball, and he was confident Minh could achieve any goal in mind.

Minh already has some plans.

"I have a clear goal to compete seriously in singles. While doubles has brought me great success, I want to challenge myself and prove that I can stand strong on my own," said Minh.

Tống Nhật Minh says he still needs to improve his drive to boost his level in both doubles and singles. Photo of Phạm Huyền

"I’m ready to put in extra hours, make sacrifices, and push beyond my limits to improve in both singles and doubles. I believe true champions are those who never stop evolving, and I’m determined to be that kind of athlete."

Meanwhile, his manager arranged a busy schedule until next year. In the next few weeks, he will participate in PPA Tour Asia tournaments in Hong Kong, Japan and Việt Nam, and then he will test his ability in Australia and the United States. VNS