Vietnam tennis ace grabs defeat from jaws of victory in Thailand

By Vy Anh April 17, 2022 | 07:15 pm PT

Ly Hoang Nam plays in the final of the M15 Chiangrai in Thailand on April 17, 2022. Photo by Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand

Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam held match points against Hong Seong Chan of South Korea in the final of Thailand's M15 Chiangrai tournament before enduring a heart-breaking loss.

He did not make a good start and lost the first set 3-6. But he bounced back to win the second 6-3, and send the match into a decider.

He led 5-3 and held a total of six match points but could not finish off his opponent, who equalized at 5-5 and went on to win 7-5 in two hours and 35 minutes.

This is Nam’s second defeat in a final this year after last month’s M25 Toulouse-Balma in France.

He won prize money of $1,272 and added eight points to his ATP world ranking.

He is set to play another M15 tournament in Thailand before returning home to prepare for the SEA Games 31 in May.

Recently he entered the top world’s 500 for the first time since October 2019. His highest ranking so far has been 385th in November 2018.