Hoang Nam Ly wins Hanoi Cup, cements rise with second PPA crown

Hoang Nam Ly did more than win a home title in Hanoi. By taking the MB Hanoi Cup men’s singles crown and jumping to No. 14 in the latest PPA Tour Asia rankings, he put Vietnam on the map as a real pipeline for world-class pickleball, not just a stop on the schedule.

Ly closed the tournament on April 5 with an 11-5, 11-6 victory over compatriot Truong Vinh Hien, finishing an all-Vietnamese final that would have looked unthinkable a year ago. Neither man was seeded, yet both had already knocked out the tournament favorites to reach championship Sunday at My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena. For Ly, the path was especially telling: he survived world No. 4 Christian Alshon in a bruising semifinal, 12-10, 0-11, 12-10, then handled Hien with far less drama in the final.

That win was Ly’s second PPA Asia Tour singles title after his victory in China in December 2025, and it came with real ranking weight. The April 13 update had Ly at No. 14 with 3,100 points, just behind Ben Johns at No. 13 with 3,587. Hien was right there too, up to No. 17 with 2,500 points. Two Vietnamese men inside the top 20 is the kind of number that changes the conversation. It means Hanoi is not simply hosting elite pickleball. It is producing it.

The setting mattered just as much as the result. The MB Hanoi Cup was the first PPA Asia 1000 event of 2026, running April 1-5 with up to US$300,000 in pro prize money and 1,000 ranking points on the line. More than 700 players entered across elite and amateur draws, while the marquee field included Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, Federico Staksrud, Tyson McGuffin, Dylan Frazier, Tyra Black, Anna Bright and Zane Navratil. That kind of lineup gives sponsors a reason to stay in Asia and gives the circuit the credibility of a true international stop.

Ly’s rise also fits the broader shift in the region. He moved from tennis to pickleball in early 2025, and his footwork and court sense are translating fast. After the final, he said he had prepared thoroughly, especially mentally, because he had lost to Hien twice before. He also said he hoped to test himself in the United States later in 2026, noting that the weather, balls and outdoor conditions are different there.

Vietnam has now hosted three PPA Asia 1000 events in two years, after HCMC and Da Nang in 2025. Hanoi did not just crown a champion. It showed Asia that the next serious men’s contender may already be here.