Ly Hoang Nam, the rising Vietnamese pickler, attained the No. 1 ranking in Asia in the latest Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) rankings. Nam rose to the top of the continental singles rankings following his stellar performance at the MB Hanoi Cup, where he stunned seasoned American pro Christian Alshon in the final to clinch the title.
Nam’s rise points to Vietnam’s increasing influence in Asian as well as global pickleball. Incidentally, the top three spots in the Asian men’s singles rankings are occupied by Vietnamese players. At the second spot is Phuc Huynh with a 6.234 rating, while Luc Pham is third with a 6.145 rating. Nam occupies the pole position with a 6.267 rating.
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Overall, Vietnam has five players in the top 10. Truong Hien, the qualifier who inflicted a major upset at the Hanoi Cup by defeating top seed Federico Staksrud in the semifinal, is fifth with a 6.062 rating, while Hoang Nguyen Viet is the fifth Vietnamese player in the top 10, currently occupying the ninth spot.
The remaining spots in the top 10 belong to the Philippines’ Eric Roddy, the Asia No. 4, India’s Armaan Bhatia, the Asia No. 6, Chinese Taipei’s Cheng En Tsai, the Asia No. 7, and China’s Thomas Yu, who completes the top 10 at No. 10.
This is the first time a Vietnamese player has occupied the top spot in the Asian rankings, reflecting the country’s rapid emergence as a force in one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
Former Wimbledon junior champion turned pickler
At the DUPR global rankings, Nam holds the 20th spot.
Long before his success in pickleball, Nam was recognized as Vietnam’s top-ranked tennis player. He also earned international acclaim after winning the boys’ doubles title at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships alongside India’s Sumit Nagal.
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With the Pickleball World Cup set to take place in Da Nang from August 30 to September 6, Vietnamese players will hope to put on a strong display at home. The third edition of the Pickleball World Cup will see around 4,000 players flock to Da Nang from more than 80 countries and territories.
With a strong squad and the advantage of playing on home soil, Vietnam will enter the tournament as one of the teams capable of mounting a serious challenge for a high finish in the overall standings.
