Vietnam’s Anh Tu crowned singles champion at SEA table tennis championships

Vietnam continued to yield success at the 2016 Southeast Asia Table Tennis Championships in Indonesia on December 24 when Hanoian player Nguyen Anh Tu claimed the men’s singles title in a convincing fashion.

Nguyen Anh Tu wins one gold and one silver medal at this year's tournament.
Nguyen Anh Tu wins one gold and one silver medal at this year's tournament.

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After winning a gold in the men’s team event and a silver in the men’s doubles, the Vietnamese delegation went on to showcase their superiority in this year’s tournament with Nguyen Anh Tu, Dinh Quang Linh and Doan Ba Tuan Anh named among the four semifinalists of the singles event.

However, the all-Vietnamese final match did not occur as anticipated after Dinh Quang Linh suffered a surprising 3-4 loss to Singaporean Poh Ethan, who had been beaten 1-3 by Linh in the men’s team final earlier.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Anh Tu brilliantly overcame compatriot Doan Ba Tuan Anh to set up a final clash with Poh Ethan.

Tu became accustomed with Ethan’s strategies following his 3-2 victory against the Singaporean in the men’s team final. Therefore, it was not difficult for the Vietnamese player to take control of the match before taking the first regional singles crown of career with a straight 4-0 win (11-6, 11-7, 11-5 and 11-9).

It was also the first singles gold medal won by a Vietnamese player at the SEA championships since the 2008 competition where veteran player Doan Kien Quoc did the same.

In the women’s singles final, Vietnam’s Mai Hoang My Trang lost 1-4 to world no. 49, Lin Ye of Singapore, ending up with a silver medal. The bronze medal went to another Vietnamese representative, Nguyen Thi Viet Linh.

With Tu finishing on top, Vietnam officially wrapped up a successful tournament claiming three gold medals (men’s team, women’s team and men’s singles).