Vietnam cannot surprise Ben Johns at the PPA Asia Tour

Facing the number one opponent at the US PPA Tour, the two Vietnamese players were somewhat overwhelmed in the first set. Old general Minh Quan made many mistakes, allowing his opponent to take an early lead from the beginning of the set. Johns and Alshon continuously scored points, before winning 11-0 in this set.

In a difficult situation, Minh Quan calmed down and, along with his junior Vinh Hien, gradually led the strong opponent back in the second set. On the other side of the front line, Alshon missed a lot of shots, and Johns was no longer as solid at the net as in the first set. When the score was 9-9, the Vietnamese duo scored two consecutive points, winning 11-9 and equalizing the total score 1-1.

In the third set, Minh Quan still played well, but Vinh Hien showed signs of being impatient. Many times in the dink position, the player born in 2004 wanted to end the situation early by speeding up straight at Alshon. However, the American tennis player often reacted well and counterattacked with a powerful forehand to score points.

The Vietnamese tennis team led 8-7 at the end of the set, but gradually weakened since then. Courage helped Johns and Alshon win 4 consecutive points to end the match. In particular, Johns took advantage of the match point with an ATP shot (hitting outside the net post into the court) making Minh Quan unable to defend.

Winning a set against the pair of Johns and Alshon is considered a success for Minh Quan and Vinh Hien. While Ben Johns is considered a modern legend of this sport, Alshon has just usurped Johns's position to occupy the top of the DUPR men's singles table. In addition, the player born in 2000 is also ranked fourth in men's doubles in the world, three places behind Johns. This is the first time the two rivals Johns and Alshon have become teammates.

PPA Tour is expanding its influence globally. The Panas Malaysia Cup event became the highlight when it gathered top players from the US, Australia, China, Vietnam and many other countries.

While some athletes are competing at the Sacramento Vintage Open with wooden rackets, many American PPA stars such as Ben Johns, Kaitlyn Christian and Christian Alshon are present in Malaysia to test the power of Asian pickleball. This is a rare opportunity for players in the region to rub shoulders with dominant American names.

The men's singles champion receives a bonus of 5,000 USD, while the men's doubles champion receives 8,000 USD. The bonus points for the champion are 1,500 in the Asian system and 1,000 in the American system, respectively.

Later this month, Vietnam hosts a PPA Tour Asia event for the first time when the Vietnam Cup is held at Tien Son Sports Palace, Da Nang from September 30 to October 4. This is considered an important milestone, marking the official appearance of the fastest growing sport in the world in Vietnam. 120 players participated, including the world's top names such as Ben Johns, Tyson McGuffin, Christian Alshon, Zane Navratil, Kaitlyn Christian and Zoey Chao Yi Wang.