Thirteen-year-old Nguyen Hoang Thien wowed home fans and impressed experts by winning the U18 International Tennis Federation Becamex Cup Saturday in Binh Duong Province.

The home fans in the southern province rooted and cheered for Thien all the way as he brushed aside the seventh seed and top seed from Thailand in the men’s singles quarterfinals and the semis before beating the third seed, also from Thailand, 6-4, 7-5 to win the championship Saturday.

“Thien became very interested in tennis when he was 8,” says Thien’s father Nguyen Ngoc Minh.

“When he was 10, we sent him to the Saddle Brook School at the Florida Academy to learn to play the sport. It has cost US$300,000 so far. We still want him to learn more and become a professional tennis player,” Minh said.

Vietnamese tennis experts say Thien will become the top player in the country.

Thien will now take part in more international tournaments to get enough points for a place in the Australian Open tournament for juniors next year.

Today, he will fly to Bahrain to compete in the U14 Asian Tennis Championship.

Reported by Quang Tuyen