Tennis

Athletes of eight teams in the opening ceremony of the Billie Jean King Cup Group III Asia/Oceania - Zone A, has been officially open on October 21 in Lâm Đồng Province. Photos courtesy of VTF

LÂM ĐỒNG — The international tennis tournament for women, World Tennis's Billie Jean King Cup Group III Asia/Oceania – Event A, has been officially open on October 21 in Lâm Đồng Province.

The event, which is organised for the second consecutive year in Việt Nam, features eight teams who will compete from  October 21-24 at the NovaWorld Phan Thiết tennis court centre.

Việt Nam are in Pool B with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iraq. Pool A gathers Nepal, Northern Mariana Island and Brunei.

As the world No 86, the hosts are the second highest ranking team of the tournament, standing below Nepal who are No 80.

Teams will compete in the round robin format in the this stage. Two teams finishing top of their pools will then face off in a promotional play-off to determine who advances to Asia/Oceania Group II in 2027, while no nations will be relegated.

“The international-standard facilities at NovaWorld Phan Thiết combined with thorough professional preparations and optimal conditions for competition, we look forward to delivering a professional, fair, and successful tournament, one that will leave a positive impression on the international teams," said Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, General Secretary of the Việt Nam Tennis Federation.

"In particular, this tournament is as a valuable opportunity for the Vietnamese women’s team to leverage their home-field advantage, gain competitive experience, and strive for the best possible results in the tournament.”

Trần Thụy Thanh Trúc of Việt Nam makes a good start for the team with a 6-0, 6-0 win in the first single match.

According to the VTF leader, Việt Nam was honoured to host the tournament for the second time in a row, which marked a significant milestone for the nation’s tennis and reflected the World Tennis’s confidence in the country's organisational capabilities, facilities, and management of international tournaments.

It would be a plus in VTF's profile to run for organising major events in the future, strengthen cooperation with other federation while local players would have more opportunities to compete against world rivals on home ground.

In the opening match on October 21, Việt Nam defeated Iraq 3-0.

Trần Thụy Thanh Trúc opened the tie by defeating Hana Avdal Hasan 6-0, 6-0. Nguyễn Thị Mai Linh then secured the victory with a double-bagel 6-0, 6-0 win over Lara Hasan. In the doubles match, Vũ Khánh Phương and Natasha Trần sealed the clean sweep, beating Hana Avdal Hasan and Zafal Khalil 6-0, 6-0. — VNS