Ly Hoang Nam (28), Vietnam’s former national No. 1 in tennis, switched to pickleball and climbed to world No. 14 in singles in just over a year. On April 5, 2026, he beat Truong Vinh Hien in the final of the PPA Asia 1000 Hanoi Cup and gained 3,100 points. He has closed to within 500 points of world No. 13 Ben Johns (3,587 points). How far the footwork and ball control he cultivated in tennis will carry in a sport switch—Nam is proving the answer with results.
Details of the PPA Asia Hanoi Cup 2026
In the men’s singles at the PPA Asia 1000 Hanoi Cup held in Hanoi on April 5, Nam pulled off an upset in the quarterfinals, beating world No. 4 Christian Alshon (USA). In the final he won an all-Vietnam clash with compatriot Truong Vinh Hien to take his second career PPA Asia Tour title. His first came at the 2025 Hangzhou event in China, where he defeated Jack Wong.
This win lifted his DUPR rating to 6,267, ranking him No. 1 in Asia. Hien also rose to world No. 17 with 2,500 points, making clear a picture in which Vietnamese players are leading singles competition in Asia.
From tennis to pickleball—the background to the switch
Nam was born on February 25, 1997. In tennis, he won the 2015 Wimbledon Junior doubles paired with India’s Sumit Nagal, becoming the first Vietnamese to win a Grand Slam title. With a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 231 (November 2022) and a Davis Cup record of 25 wins and 10 losses, he holds the best achievements in Vietnamese tennis history.
He made a full-fledged switch to pickleball in early 2025. The footwork, accurate ball control, and sharp reflexes he honed in tennis became weapons as they were, and he has kept producing results at international tournaments right from the switch.
Comparison data for Nam and Ben Johns
| Metric | Ly Hoang Nam, | Ben Johns |
|---|---|---|
| World singles ranking | No. 14 | No. 13 |
| Cumulative points | 3,100 | 3,587 |
| Point gap | 487 points | |
| DUPR Rating | 6.267 | Undisclosed (an all-time-high level) |
| Triple Crowns | None | 21 times |
| World No. 1 in doubles/mixed | None | Yes (current world No. 1 in both categories) |
| 2026 singles final match | April Hanoi Cup (won) | February Mesa Cup |
| Sport before the switch | Tennis (ATP No. 231) | Tennis (college level) |
The world’s reaction
Asian pickleball stakeholders:Voices are emerging such as, “Nam’s success has proved that a tennis player’s switch leads directly to the top of singles. It will become the trigger for Asian tennis players to turn their eyes en masse to pickleball.”
The PPA Asia organizers:In response to the excitement of the Hanoi Cup, they are considering adding a leg in Vietnam. Nam’s presence is boosting the tour’s commercial value on both the ticket-sales and sponsor-acquisition fronts.
The Ben Johns camp:In the 2026 season, Johns is limiting his singles appearances and focusing on doubles. Some observe that an overtaking in the singles ranking is “a matter of time,” but others see that if Johns gets serious about singles, the skill gap is still large.
Implications for Japanese players
In Japan too, cases of people with tennis or table-tennis experience switching to pickleball are increasing. Nam’s example showed that “a former pro tennis player’s footwork and mentality become an overwhelming advantage in pickleball singles.” For Japanese tennis coaches and retired players, pickleball is taking on a real quality as a second-career option.
Also,15-year-old Tama ShimabukuroTogether with the flow of younger generations succeeding internationally in pickleball, moves for Japanese players to enter the Asia Tour will likely increase going forward.
The ripple effects of switching from tennis to pickleball
Not only Nam, but switches from tennis to pickleball are accelerating in countries around the world. Examples of players who retired from the ATP Tour joining the PPA Tour have become no longer rare in North America, and in Asia the flow has begun in earnest, starting with Vietnam.
While this phenomenon raises the level of pickleball competition in a short time, it also breeds friction with “homegrown pickleball” players. If the tennis converts monopolize the top of the rankings, debate over the sport’s identity is unavoidable.The unified rulebookIn parallel with developing it, how to design the seeding allocation and eligibility of converted players will become a focal point going forward.
Nam’s future tournament schedule
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Recent results | PPA Asia 1000 Hanoi Cup, winner (April 5, 2026) |
| Cumulative PPA Asia titles | 2 wins (Hangzhou 2025, Hanoi 2026) |
| Current DUPR | 6.267 (No. 1 in Asia) |
| World-ranking goal | Breaking into the top 10 |
| Notable next match | Next leg of the PPA Asia Tour (schedule not yet announced) |
| Career tennis | Wimbledon Jr. doubles champion, career-high ATP No. 231, Davis Cup 25 wins and 10 losses |
Summary
Ly Hoang Nam’s switch to pickleball is not merely a “former tennis player’s sideline.” The fact that he reached world No. 14 in just one year and has come to a position where Ben Johns’s back is in sight is proof that pickleball singles competition has high compatibility with the tennis skill set. The era in which an Asia-born star player shakes up the global rankings has already begun.
