Pickleball 

Phúc Huỳnh (centre) wins Pickleball Michelob ULTRA – Asian Open's title on June 7 in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of organisers

HÀ NỘI — Phúc Huỳnh defeated Asian No 1 Lý Hoàng Nam in an all-Việt Nam final to claim gold in the men’s singles at the Pickleball Michelob ULTRA Asian Open on June 7 in HCM City.

The top two-seeded players produced an intense and exciting match in which both sides constantly chased each other’s scores. Huỳnh ultimately won 21-13, 21-23, 21-11 at the VIAS Pickleball Academy.

Earlier, both athletes overcame strong rivals in the semi-finals. Nam beat American challenger Patrik Kawka while Huỳnh defeated world top 10 Quang Dương, an American-born Vietnamese player, by the same 2-0 scoreline.

In the women’s Open singles, Roos Van Reek, the No 1-ranked Dutch pickleball player, defeated Việt Nam’s top-ranked Sophia Phương Anh 21-11, 21-12 to take gold.

In the men’s Open doubles, Dương paired with Harsh Mehta to beat Nam and Nick Khamphi 16-21, 21-17, 17-21 in the final.

Later, Nam finally secured a title from his three final appearances.

He teamed up with Roos and produced an impressive comeback performance in the Open mixed doubles event. They overcame Harsh Mehta and Nicolas Schoeman 17-21, 21-9, 20-11.

Meanwhile, it was Roos’ third trophy in HCM City. She and teammate Vivian Glozman claimed the Open women’s doubles title after defeating Kaitlynn Hart and Nicola Schoeman 21-7, 21-19 in a dominant performance.

With a total cash prize pool of VNĐ3 billion (US$38,000), the event featured top regional players, rising talent and the global pickleball community in an energetic, world-class sporting environment. — VNS