Dan Tri Newspaper Pickleball Tournament: Brilliant picture, unforgettable mark

(Dan Tri) - The two days of competition at the Dan Tri newspaper pickelball tournament were extremely exciting, with many highlights at Dai Kim Pickelball Complex (Hanoi) after 505 matches.

Athletes participating in the pickleball tournament "Dan Tri 20 years - Bright new days" can see their competition photos at https://dantri.com.vn/pickleball20nam

The pickleball tournament "Dan Tri 20 years - Bright new days" took place on July 5 and 6 in Hanoi , gathering 574 athletes to participate. The Organizing Committee said that all fees collected from athletes houses (at 500,000 VND/person) will not be used to cover the organization costs but will be used to support the construction of 5 Charity houses, helping 5 households especially with difficult circumstances in Cao Bang.

The Dan Tri 20-year Pickleball Tournament - Bright New Days has ended after two days of exciting competition with 505 matches. Although this was only the first tournament to be held, it left a strong impression on the hearts of athletes and fans.

Over the past two days, athletes competed in the following categories: Dan Tri Lead mixed doubles, Dan Tri Lead men's doubles, Dan Tri & Friends, women's doubles 4.5 and 5.0, women's doubles Open and men's doubles Open, men's doubles 5.5 and 6.5. The tournament left many unforgettable impressions with many notable highlights.

VAR technology first appeared

VAR technology is considered by many athletes to be a highlight of the Dan Tri pickleball tournament. Mr. Le Ngoc Anh, Director of PICKFAIR, said that the 12-eye VAR technology uses many high-quality cameras to record every moment on the field, helping referees review controversial situations in detail and accurately.

VAR technology is applied in Dan Tri pickleball tournament (Photo: Quyet Thang).

Sharing about VAR technology, Head of the Referee Board Dinh Cong Minh said: “We have tried applying VAR technology in a few tournaments. However, for the pickleball tournament “Dan Tri 20 years - New brilliant days”, we have the most thorough preparation ever. We pay attention to every smallest detail.

I highly appreciate the support for referees in the upcoming tournament. First, the uniforms. Second, the training. Third, the technology. Referees will be supported by VAR checks to handle situations most accurately.

Sometimes pickleball situations happen very quickly and the referee cannot keep up with the ball situation. VAR technology will help the referee a lot. The players can also monitor the situations."

Thanks to VAR, controversial situations in the Dan Tri pickleball tournament have been minimized. That makes the matches go very smoothly, avoids unnecessary controversies, and creates a healthy environment for athletes to compete.

Veteran athlete plays through pain

In the Dan Tri Lead mixed doubles event held on the morning of July 5 at Dai Kim Pickleball Complex, the athlete pair Le Thi Hoang Yen (Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports and Physical Training Department) and Nguyen Nam excellently defeated the pair Minh Tiep and Thu Thuy with a score of 11-6 to win the championship.

Despite being 56 years old, athlete Hoang Yen still competes with passion. In the middle of the match, she suffered a leg injury. However, instead of receiving medical assistance, she still tried to endure the pain and compete, winning the championship in a worthy manner.

Athlete Hoang Yen is the oldest athlete in the tournament. However, she still excelled in winning the mixed doubles championship of Dan Tri Lead (Photo: Manh Quan).

Sharing the reason for suppressing the pain, this “veteran” athlete said: “Just like when playing tennis, I feel pain in my legs when competing at a high frequency. I try to force myself to continue playing. I don't want to stop for a medical check because I feel I can overcome it. Moreover, I don't want to lose the momentum of the whole team.

On the morning of July 5, I played 5 matches but still felt that I had enough energy to compete and pass. After the group stage, we had a break of about 15 minutes and had time to recover. The organizing committee also took good care of the athletes by providing them with enough food and drinks. That gave me more energy.”

Many artists compete in the tournament

Many artists also paid special attention to the 20th Dan Tri Pickleball Tournament. On the morning of July 6, many famous figures in the entertainment industry such as athlete couple Shark Binh - Phuong Oanh, runner-up Anh Tu, actor Vu Tuan Viet, actress Ha Huong, singer Minh Quan... competed in the Dan Tri & Friends category. Before that, actor Minh Tiep also competed in the Dan Tri Lead category.

Shark Binh and Phuong Oanh attend the Dan Tri pickleball tournament (Photo: Manh Quan).

As a result, actor Minh Tiep won the runner-up position in the Dan Tri Lead mixed team category, while singers Ngoc Anh Kim and Ba Ngoc both won the runner-up position in the Dan Tri & Friend category.

Overall, the tournament leaves a strong impression on the artists. Singer Ba Ngoc emphasized that this is a meaningful playground, helping artists not only to exchange but also to improve their skills.

Both singers appreciate the humanitarian significance of the tournament, as all entry fees are used to build charity houses for disadvantageous household in Cao Bang. This further increases the value of the tournament, not only as a sports playground but also as an opportunity to spread the spirit of charity.

Runner-up Tu Anh was when talking about the meaning of the Dan Tri pickleball tournament: "I am very honored to participate in an event that not only inspires healthy and positive living but also makes practical contributions to the community."

Teenage athlete pair (under 20 years old) impresses

Two young athletes Nguyen Minh Ngoc (born in 2008) and Tran Tue Ngoc (born in 2007) from Bac Ninh are truly the bright spots in the Open women's doubles. In terms of age and experience, the "Ngoc twins" cannot be compared to their seniors. However, in terms of talent and determination, the two girls always have more than enough.

Ngoc "rabbit" and Ngoc "little" made an impression in the Open women's doubles event at the Dan Tri pickleball tournament (Photo: Manh Quan).

Notably, in the quarter-finals, Ngoc “little” and Ngoc “rabbit” created an incredible comeback against championship candidates Hang Adam and Binh Zafa. Despite being continuously behind, the duo “Ngoc” showed great courage and won by a narrow margin with a score of 15-14.

Because of their admiration for the spirit of the two girls, many people enthusiastically cheered for them in the final match against the number 1 candidates, Si Boi Ngoc and Tran Huyen Trang. Unfortunately, the two young athletes could not defeat their seniors and had to accept the runner-up position.

Big surprise in Open men's doubles

Dat “tro” and Trieu “cau ban” are two national-level pickleball players. They are the number 1 candidate for the championship of the men's doubles event of the 20th Dan Tri Pickleball Tournament. In fact, on the journey to the final, this pair of athletes did not encounter any obstacles.

However, in the final match, they faced formidable opponents when Quoc Khanh and Minh Luan came from Tien Giang. The two athletes from the South were truly unknown in this tournament. They had a tough time in the quarter-finals and semi-finals but surprised everyone with their brilliant performance in the final match.

Dat "tro" couldn't win the championship with his teammate Trieu "badminton" (Photo: Manh Quan).

The pair Quoc Khanh - Minh Luan started very well. They took a 5-1 lead against the pair Dat "tro" - Trieu "cau ban". After that, the number 1 athlete pair tied the match at 5-5, pushing the match and the game into a contest.

However, with a fast, strong playing style and quite clear tactics, Quoc Khanh - Minh Luan came back and continuously left their opponents far behind. Finally, the pair from Tien Giang won the championship with a score of 15-5.

Sharing after creating the surprise, Quoc Khanh said: "I am extremely happy. It is difficult to describe my feelings right now. I have become the champion". Meanwhile, Minh Luan shared: "Before entering the match, Khanh and I just encouraged each other to play as hard as we could. In the end, victory came to us successfully."

Heat from the fans

Pickleball is becoming a popular sport. This continues to be demonstrated in the 20th Dan Tri Pickleball Tournament. Regardless of the time, Dai Kim Pickleball Stadium always testifies hundreds of spectators cheering for the athletes.

Fans "burned out" with the athletes (Photo: Manh Quan).

In particular, attention was focused on the finals of the Open women's doubles and Open men's doubles. Many fans traveled from quite far away to watch the matches of their favorite athletes such as Dat "tro", Trieu "cau ban", Si Boi Ngoc, Tran Huyen Trang or the young athlete couple Ngoc "be" and Ngoc "tho".

The endless cheers have kept the Dai Kim Pickleball Stadium in a festive atmosphere. The audience's reception is a good thing for Dan Tri newspaper in its first pickleball tournament.

Enthusiasm from the referees

Over two days, the tournament took place from 8am to 10pm in a “hot as fire” atmosphere at Dai Kim Pickleball. To ensure that the matches continued on all 9 courts, the referees also had to work continuously.

Referees work at full capacity at the Dan Tri pickleball tournament (Photo: Manh Quan).

Seeing the referees quickly eat their lunch boxes and then return to their duties, we can see their enthusiasm. Especially in important matches (such as the women's doubles final, men's team Open), the organizing committee arranged up to 4 referees to work.

The good news is that there was no controversy regarding the refereeing. Speaking to Dan Tri, Head of the Referee Committee Dinh Cong Minh said: "The referees handled the situation well. We trained thoroughly before the tournament. We aim to handle it flexibly. The athletes did not have any reaction."

Thanks and see you again…

Instead of words, we would like to quote the champions' statements when talking about the Dan Tri pickleball tournament. Athlete Anh Tu (Dan Tri Lead champion) shared: "I would like to thank Dan Tri newspaper for creating a wonderful playground for pickleball lovers to have a healthy playground. I feel I deserve to win the championship in this event."

Athlete Minh Luan (Open men's doubles champion) said: "Really, I think this tournament is quite grand. Dan Tri newspaper organized the tournament very well. If the newspaper continues to organize the tournament again, the two of us will fly from the South to participate again."

The pickleball tournament impresses athletes because of its scale of organization as well as the quality of the tournament (Photo: Ngoc Luu).

Athlete Anh Tuan (Dan Tri & Friends champion) said: “The Dan Tri newspaper tournament is the biggest among the groundswell tournaments I have ever participated in. The players had a lot of fun and interacted enthusiastically.” Teammate Truong Son added: “This is a tournament with quite high professional quality. We went through many very tense matches, many of which had to come from behind to win.”

Athlete Le Dang Khoa (Dan Tri 5.5 champion) said: “This is the biggest tournament among the groundswell tournaments that I have participated in. I am very happy to compete with very strong opponents. I sincerely thank the organizers for creating a great playground.” His partner Le Phu shared: "I am very happy to participate in the Dan Tri pickleball tournament. This is a very large-scale tournament, with careful preparation. The media aspect of the tournament also impressed me."

The organizers of the tournament always want to give the athletes a truly quality, attractive and fair tournament. The above statements are truly the motivation for Dan Tri newspaper to be able to serve its readers better.

Thank you to all the athletes for the fierce competition, creating the quality of the Dan Tri pickleball tournament. See you again in the next tournaments…

The Organizing Committee of the Pickleball Tournament “Dan Tri 20 Years - Bright New Day” would like to sincerely thank the Sponsors and Companions who have trusted, supported and contributed significantly to the success of the tournament: Platinum Sponsor – Pharmacity Pharmacy System, Vingroup Corporation; Silver Sponsor – Masan Group, Masterise Group Joint Stock Company, Exclusive Competition Costume Sponsor – Coolmate Fashion Brand, Hasuno Cosmetics Brand, Sunshine Group Joint Stock Company; Bronze Sponsor – Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), Thu Cuc TCI Healthcare System; with the accompanying units - MK Vision Joint Stock Company, MIC Thang Long Insurance Company, Pafoli Paint Group, KOVA Paint Company Limited, ZSports Sports Joint Stock Company, Vietnam Phat GCK Company Limited, Hoang Phong Sports Trading & Production Company Limited, Primer Group Joint Stock Company, Medlatec Vietnam Company Limited, Coca-Cola Vietnam Beverage Company Limited, Midomax Vietnam Joint Stock Company, Dong Luc Joint Stock Company, Otsuka Nutraceutical Vietnam Company Limited. Your valuable companionship is a great source of motivation for the tournament to spread the spirit of sportsmanship, connect the community and continue to shine in the following seasons.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/giai-pickleball-bao-dan-tri-buc-tranh-ruc-ro-dau-an-kho-phai-20250707002313727.htm