VietNamNet Bridge – Following two years of training in Thailand, Nguyen Thuy Dung has lifted her ranking in the world from 769 to 753 now.

Rising star: Nguyen Thuy Dung, seen in a national tourney, has lifted her ranking in the world to 753 after two years of training in Thailand.

Dung, who comes from Ha Noi, has played 17 tournaments so far in the Philippines, England and Mexico, which has helped to raise her world rankings from 959 on the ITF Junior Circuit to 800.

She earned a spot on the Vietnamese national team after showing promise at a tournament for under-14s when she 12.

She qualified for the semi-final of the ITF tournament when she defeated both China’s He Chun-yan at Gurgaon in India and South Korea’s Lee Cho-won at the Khonkan Championship this year.

Dung said poor training conditions and limited opportunities in Viet Nam were making her doubt whether she would continue to play professionally. She said there was a desperate need for training facilities, qualified coaches and funding in Viet Nam.

Furthermore, she said the Viet Nam Tennis Federation should devise a strategy to help tennis players become professional.

“I will try to win the national championship but I’m not sure what will happen next,” Dung said. “My parents supported my decision to become a professional tennis player. Whether I’ll succeed depends on my determination.”

The situation has changed since last year when the Ha Noi Sport Department began meeting 50 per cent of the cost of competing in Europe and 100 per cent of the cost of competing in Asia.

“I hope officials will treat tennis like other key sports in the future,” she said.

There are about 500 public tennis courts in Ha Noi and 1,000 in HCM City. Most professionals in Ha Noi play at the Khuc Hao Sports Centre, while their counterparts in HCM City have three or four options.

Dung is planning to compete in two tournaments in Australia this month, which carry prize money of US$25,000 each.

Dung, who is 1.67m tall and weighs 55kg, said her goal was to make it into the top 500 in the world, which would allow her to enter bigger tournaments.

Dung said she was training with five Thais and a Sri Lankan tennis player in Thailand, who are ranked around 1,000 in the world.

She said Thai athletes received support from two or three sponsors, while Dung had yet to find a single sponsor.

“Every year, my family pay around $40,000 for a coach, accommodation and competition fees, of which the Ha Noi Sports Department gives me $600 each month and covers the cost of competing in Europe and Asia,” said Dung.

“My target is to compete in as many international tournaments as possible. I need more financial support to ease the burden on my family.”

“If I join the top 100, I could play in a Grand Slam some day,” said Dung.

(Source: Viet Nam News)