>>> Record number of competitors at Nhan Dan Newspaper national table tennis tourney
>>> Semifinalists for team events decided
Hai Duong 1 were highly favoured for the crown with the presence of three national team players, Vu Quang Hien, Nguyen Duc Tuan and reigning men’s singles champion Doan Ba Tuan Anh.
However, they were also forced to fight hard to win the overall victory, as all the three players needed up to five sets to finish off their opponents with the same score of 3-2, thus helping Hai Duong 1 lift the championship title after eight years of waiting.
Doan Ba Tuan Anh celebrates after winning the decisive fifth set for Hai Duong 1 in their men's team final against the T&T 1 team.
T&T 1 claimed the silver medal, while the bronze medal went to Hanoi 1 and HCM City 1, the two losers in the semifinals earlier the same day.
On the women’s side, the brilliance of Mai Hoang My Trang and Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh helped HCM City 1 edge past Hai Duong 1 with a score of 3-1 to take the overall trophy. The People’s Public Security team 1 and T&T 1 were the two third-prize winners.
The brilliance of Mai Hoang My Trang contributes significantly to HCM City 1's overall victory in the women's team event.
On the afternoon of July 16, the mixed doubles category witnessed a big surprise in the first round with the Hanoi pair Nguyen Anh Tu (2018 men’s singles champion) / Pham Da Thao surrendering 2-3 to their HCM City rivals Tran Huy Bao / Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh.
Le Dinh Duc (T&T) / Nguyen Thi Nga (Hanoi, 2018 women’s singles champion) saw off Anh Tuan / Tuong Giang from the People’s Public Security team. In addition, other strong pairs including Nguyen Duc Tuan / Bui Ngoc Lan (Hai Duong) and Mai Hoang My Trang / Le Dinh Duy (HCM City) also recorded comfortable victories.
