Ly Hoang Nam, a former tennis player turned pickleball sensation, has been awarded the title of “Best Male Athlete of the Year” at the inaugural Vietnam Pickleball Awards, held on the evening of March 23rd in Ho Chi Minh City. He achieved a final score of 89.55, narrowly edging out badminton player Trieu, who finished with 77.40 points. Do Minh Quan rounded out the top three with a score of 49.03.

A Close Contest Decided by Jury and Expert Opinion

While Trieu Badminton initially led in public votes with 7,672 compared to Ly Hoang Nam’s 7,603, the final outcome was determined by a weighted scoring system. Public votes accounted for 50% of the final score, with the remaining 50% split between scores from the judging panel (30%) and an expert council (20%). This weighting ultimately favored Ly Hoang Nam, recognizing his professional playing style and success in international competitions.

Dominance in Pickleball and Rising Rankings

Ly Hoang Nam’s transition from tennis to pickleball has been remarkably successful. As of October 2025, he is ranked world No. 19 in the PPA Tour pickleball rankings. He previously achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 231 in tennis.

In December 2025, he delivered a stunning upset at the PPA Asia Pickleball Open in Hangzhou, China, defeating world No. 2 Federico Staksrud in straight sets to reach the men’s singles final.

Other Award Winners

The 2025 Vietnam Pickleball Awards also recognized other outstanding athletes:

• Best Female Athlete of the Year: Sophia Phuong Anh
• Best Women’s Doubles: Sophia Phuong Anh & Sophia Huynh Tran
• Best Mixed Doubles: Le Xuan Duc & Sophia Phuong Anh
• Best Men’s Doubles: Do Minh Quan & Truong Vinh Hien
• Promising Young Male Athlete (Under 18): Le Xuan Duc
• Promising Young Female Athlete (Under 18): Suri Bao Han
• Best Male Athlete 40+: Do Minh Quan
• Best Female Athlete 40+: Cao Thuy Dung