Truong Vinh Hien was criticized after winning against Ly Hoang Nam.

Pickleball player Truong Vinh Hien received many negative comments from the online community, after his controversial win over Ly Hoang Nam in the PPA Asia semi-finals.

Truong Vinh Hien entered the PPA Asia finals for the first time - Photo: SPIK

At noon on October 3, the semi-final match of the professional men's singles PPA Asia - Vietnam Cup 2025 ended with many echoes. The 2-1 victory belonged to Truong Vinh Hien over Ly Hoang Nam.

This was the first time Vinh Hien, a junior tennis player, had beaten his senior Ly Hoang Nam after four meetings in the PPA Asian Pickleball Championship. However, there were many controversies after the match.

Specifically, in game 3, Vinh Hien called out twice - the ball was out of play for Ly Hoang Nam. The referee also respected the player's right to catch the ball and did not change his decision.

That made former Vietnam's number 1 tennis player Ly Hoang Nam angry. First, he reacted to the referee because he thought the ball was still in the court. Second, he "corrected" Vinh Hien when he thought his junior caught both balls wrong. However, nothing changed after Hoang Nam's reaction.

Partly frustrated, Ly Hoang Nam was no longer mentally stable enough to compete. He lost game 3 with a score of 6-11 and lost the final 1-2 (11-5, 9-11 and 6-11), missing the chance to enter the final to meet Phuc Huynh.

The argument broke out right after the two players shook hands. Hoang Nam thought Vinh Hien was mumbling something as he passed through his technical area. The two continued arguing about the two in-out balls.

Ly Hoang Nam was upset with the two out balls - Photo:FPT

Later, inside the tunnel, Ly Hoang Nam also "exchanged words" with Vinh Hien's group because he thought his younger brother provoked him first. Meanwhile, the people in Hien's group continuously gave Nam advice, making the tennis player angry. He thought they should advise Vinh Hien instead.

Not stopping there, the topic between Ly Hoang Nam - Truong Vinh Hien "heated up" on social networks. The highlight was Nam's wife, Phuong Trinh posted a direct criticism of Vinh Hien.

"You didn't play fair! Do you really have any sportsmanship ? People even gave you insensitive points, but was it because you wanted to win so much that you won with glory or because you cheated, Truong Vinh Hien?"

This post immediately received interactions from Ly Hoang Nam's fans. Many criticisms were aimed at Truong Vinh Hien, claiming that this player "cheated". Many other pickleball forums also sided with Hoang Nam, criticizing Vinh Hien's sportsmanship.

In fact, online viewers are the ones who can judge whether the ball is in or out by rewinding the video. On the field, the players will catch this error based on their personal judgment. Of course, unclear plays will cause a lot of controversy.

According to the tournament rules, the referee will let the players make their own in-out calls and will only intervene and change if the player makes a mistake. For example, in game 2, Ly Hoang Nam had 2 "calls in" when he sent the ball out, the referee saw it and decided that the ball was out and the score was awarded to Truong Vinh Hien.

The match ended with a win for Vinh Hien. He will meet Phuc Huynh in the final of the professional men's singles tomorrow, October 4, at Tien Son Sports Palace, Da Nang . The match will be broadcast live on FPT Play's channels and platforms.

QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truong-vinh-hien-bi-chi-trich-sau-tran-thang-ly-hoang-nam-20251003152631133.htm