VietNamNet Bridge - Truong Quoc Khanh triumphed at the Ha Noi Tennis Open after beating Vietnamese teenager Nguyen Hoang Thien 4-6, 6-0, 10-5 in the all-HCM City semi-final Thursday.

Khanh started poorly in the first set to struggle with Thien’s powerful forehands.

The 13-year-old Thien cruised to win the set 6-4.

However, Khanh summoned his power to push Thien back on the court with long and powerful returns, while Thien suffered many double faults and bad returns in the second set.

Khanh easily took the second set 6-0 and tied the score of the men’s singles semi-final.

In the super tie-break, Khanh rocketed his strokes to beat his opponent 10-5 and cruise to the final.

“Thien played so well in the first set, but it’s not enough for the match. He is still young and needs more time training,” said Khanh.

“I take my second set to draw the match before dominating the super tie-break series,” the semi-final winner added.

Thien, has been viewed as a rising star since beating Thailand’s Pasawit Buraphatitha 6-4, 7-5 in the men’s final of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Under-18 crown in southern Binh Duong Province in October.

The HCM City-born athlete also won two gold medals at the Chandigarh Tennis Tournament, held in India last month. He beat Passi Visha of India 6-4, 6-1 in the final to win the men’s singles and the doubles final with Indian partner Digvijay Singh Naruka.

“Thien will become the top player in Asia,”said coach Ashok S.Bikkannavar, who has trained the teenager for two years.

Bikkannavar, who recently recovered from a serious accident that had him in a coma for nearly four months, is always at Thien’s side.

“I am alive because of him,” said Bikkannavar, who manages Thien during long training periods in the US.

Thien and other players will play in the National Top-Player Tennis Championship, kicking off at Ha Noi’s Sao Mai Court today.

(Source: VNS)