Defeating the former number 1 pickleball player in the US, Ly Hoang Nam created an earthquake at PPA Asia

Ly Hoang Nam made a splash at PPA Hangzhou when he defeated singles number 1 seed Federico Staksrud, who is currently ranked second in the PPA Ranking and also the former number 1 in the US pickleball world.

Ly Hoang Nam created an earthquake at PPA Hangzhou - Photo: PPA

On the morning of December 5, Ly Hoang Nam entered the semi-final of the professional men's singles against "mountain" Federico Staksrud. This was a big challenge and also an opportunity for Nam to "practice his skills".

It was thought that he would only learn from the American pickleball star. However, thanks to his confidence and concentration, the former number 1 tennis player of Vietnam won convincingly 2-0.

Game 1 was tense from the start when Nam took an early 3-0 lead. However, Staksrud quickly took the lead back to 4-3. Both sides fought with many lightning-fast balls at the net to score each point.

Ly Hoang Nam had many backhand slices on the net in the opposite direction, making it difficult for Staksrud to predict. The third seed from Vietnam took the initiative to quickly get to the net in the off-serve rounds.

The Argentine tennis player, in his first time participating in the Asian tournament, was somewhat subjective and did not correctly assess his opponent in the semi-final. Staksrud was so busy that he even had to stop to use his phone.

Ly Hoang Nam still keeps forehands and two-handed backhands from the ground to unleash when pressed. Moreover, he also keeps his rhythm to counter the opponent's movement.

At 7-7, Staksrud slipped and fell while saving the ball at the end of the court. From then on, he understood that it would not be easy to "make mincemeat" of the third Vietnamese player like before with Le Xuan Duc and Hung Anh.

Federico Staksrud took advantage of the opportunity to use his phone many times - Photo:FPT

As a result, Ly Hoang Nam won game 1 with a score of 11-7 thanks to a tricky backhand shot.

Game 2, Staksrud started making mistakes, while Ly Hoang Nam was lucky when the ball hit the net and fell into the court. Hoang Nam also caught Staksrud's "out" mistake and the referee agreed.

Ly Hoang Nam led 6-0 early amid cheers from the small crowd at Lin Ping Sports Center. By the time Staksrud warmed up, the score was 8-3 for Ly Hoang Nam.

The former No. 1 PPA Ranking's class was now evident. He pulled back to 8-8, then led 8-9, then 10-9 to try to drag the match into game 3. The two fought at 10-10 very dramatically.

Then Hoang Nam showed his mettle to win 11-10 and 12-10 and then lay down to celebrate. This was a resounding victory in Ly Hoang Nam's pickleball career. Creating an earthquake in Hangzhou, Ly Hoang Nam will meet Hong Wong Kit in the final.

Hong Wong Kit beat Cheung Wing Hien 2-0 in the previous semi-final. The final will be broadcast live on the morning of December 6 on FPT Play platforms.

QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ha-tay-vot-tung-la-so-1-lang-pickleball-my-ly-hoang-nam-tao-dia-chan-tai-ppa-asia-2025120511451637.htm