Pickleball: Vietnamese-American tennis player causes shock when defeating world number 1
Báo Thanh niên•11/01/2024
Quang Duong - a Vietnamese-American tennis player created a big surprise at the prestigious Hyundai Masters 2024 pickleball tournament when he defeated world number 1 Benjamin Johns (USA).
The Hyundai Masters taking place in the US is a tournament that attracts most of the world's top players. Pickleball is a sport that is developing very strongly in the US and is on the rise in many countries around the world, including Vietnam. Quang Duong is currently ranked 19th in the world and is one of the most promising talents.
Quang Duong causes a stir at the 2024 Hyundai Masters pickleball tournament
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The draw unfortunately put Quang Duong in the same bracket as the No. 1 seed Benjamin Johns, who is also the current No. 1 in the world in men's singles in pickleball. The Vietnamese-born player had 2 consecutive wins to face this formidable opponent in the round of 16 that took place early this morning (Vietnam time). With his youth, agility but playing with courage and confidence, Quang Duong won 11/7 against Benjamin Johns in the first set. The world No. 1 player showed his class in the second set with an 11/7 victory, tying the score at 1-1. However, in the decisive third set, Quang Duong's effective and emotional attacks left Benjamin Johns unable to react many times and he accepted defeat 6/11.
Quang Duong (middle) after defeating world number 1 tennis player Benjamin Johns
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Defeating world number 1 Benjamin Johns, Quang Duong received a lot of applause from the fans present on the field. The fact that he defeated the top candidate for the championship title also increased Quang Duong's chances of advancing further, and he was even considered a strong candidate to compete for the championship.
Quang Duong is considered a pickleball prodigy.
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Quang Duong played tennis from a young age before switching to pickleball. He is the youngest player in the world's top 20. Last October, Quang Duong caught the attention of the pickleball world when he defeated No. 1 seed Hunter Johnson at the Houston Open. He was then dubbed the "Rising Star" and "Wonder Child" of American pickleball and has shown constant improvement.
Pickleball is a combination of 3 sports: table tennis, badminton and tennis. The court has the same length and width as a badminton court, but the net is placed close to the ground like tennis, the court is divided into squares like table tennis. The plastic ball is shaped like a rattan ball but is smaller. The racket is quite special like a table tennis racket but is square and larger. The rules of the game are also a hybrid between table tennis and tennis, when you can hit the ball directly or let the ball touch the ground and then hit it.
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