Diary of A Day To Remember !
0600 The rain was still pouring down heavily in the northern part of Singapore, where we live. Of course, I couldn't help feeling a little bit apprehensive that our long-awaited tennis tournament might have to be canceled ! The night before, all members of the organizing committee had gathered in our house until past midnight to prepare for "The Big Event", and all our efforts would be wasted if it kept on raining like this ! 0730 As I was driving out of the driveway; the rain appeared to be subsiding and there were some clear patches in the sky. Breathing a sigh of relief , I thought of the other members of the committee and wondered if they could get up and get themselves ready after only a few hours of sleep !. 0800 Khue was up and excitedly waiting for us as we arrived at the Pebble Bay Estates. Trang, still in her sleeping gown, was in the kitchen preparing fried rice and coffee. Vinh, "the lone ranger" must have been camping there overnight, was quietly playing with his new Palm V in the living room. The doorbell rang ! It were Giang & Diep ! Then Thach called us from the tennis court and we asked him to come up for coffee. Albert & Kim-Trang came rushing through the door asking everyone for Minh Y's phone number. They must have been so excited about "The Big Event" that somehow they had completely forgotten to pick him up ! The door rang again and this time Dung & Tu arrived with loaves of "banh mi" baguette fresh from the oven of Delifrance. Phong was the next to arrive and I thought it was time we all had to go down to the tennis court. Thach volunteered to come down first so that everyone could finish their coffee, breakfast and have a bit of fresh air. 0900 As we came down to the courts, Hoang-Oanh, My and Thanh were already there. Kim Oanh, Landy and Han arrived a moment later and we started to set up the table to get ourselves ready. Dung Dai and Kim-Oanh were asked to randomly pick out the numbers to pair-up all players for the Men Doubles and Mixed Doubles events. By now others players and their supporters have also arrived, however it appeared that some players from the Men Doubles team were nowhere to be seen! After a few phone calls, we discovered that only one of those MIAs (missing in action) could come (only after work, around noon !) while the rest wouldn't be able to make it ! The organizing committee had to make some quick decision on the spot and Dung Dai had to shift some men from the Mixed Doubles to Men Doubles. Our objective was to keep at least 8 teams for each event.
The M1 team (Khue & Landy): Khue has a fearful topspin forehand and volley. Yes, this talented DUC HUY look-alike singer-cum-tennis player (nick named DUC HO*I ) has such a fierce topspin that he frequently broke his strings and was thus also called DUC DA^Y on the tennis court. His famous TV celebrity (host of the DRIVEN program on CNBC) and tennis partner Landy, was a specialist at the net, who could hit the ball as hard as driving a tee-off shot.
The M2 team (Albert & Tuan-Anh): Our number one player, Albert was well known not just for his hairy legs, but more so for his ability to run after each and every ball on the court. His partner Tuan Anh is a rather defensive player who prefers to stay in the base line and hum Trinh Cong Son's tune while hitting the balls
The M3 team (Thach & Vinh): Both these players have been playing together quite regularly on Sundays and by a stroke of luck, they were able to team up for this tournament. Despite the fact that their styles are quite similar, both are strong defensive and conservative players, they know each other's game so well that some people were betting that this dynamic duo would win the tournament.
The M4 team (Dung Dai & Minh-Y): Without any doubt, Dung Dai is the most powerful among all the Vietnamese tennis players in Singapore. It was rumored that he once wanted to stay single and be a professional tennis player. Well, that was all before he met his future wife, of course ! Minh-Y on the other hand spent all his college years reading law books and didn't pick up the racket until he left Harvard. He is of course well versed with all the legal aspects of the game of tennis, but that didn't seem to help much in this tournament
The M5 team (Han & Minh): Han is a veteran player who has won the last two Men's Double tournaments some years back. Minh on the other hand, has never participated in any tennis tournament in his life, but is known to have a solid baseline game with a soft but reliable serve.
The M6 team (Sang & Dung Dinh): A newcomer from Winnipeg, Canada, Sang is a rising star in the Vietnamese tennis circle in Singapore who possesses a powerful baseline game, coupled with an extremely heavy top spin forehand . Dung Dinh, the MIP (most improved player) in our group, has just been promoted to the "A" team by the organizing committee, not thanks to his skill, but due to.. a shortage of "A" players. He is well known for his humorous and quick-witted comments on and off the court !
The M7 team (Dung P & Tuan P): By their last names, one might think that they are brothers or at least ... cousins! Freshly arrived from Florida, Dung must have spent time at the Nick Boletteri tennis camp as his powerful forehand and volley. (and hairy legs too !) look exactly like Agassi's ! Tuan should have been equally aggressive, having watched lots of Boris Becker while in Germany, somehow was quite a defensive player and an expert in the lob shots ! ( a lobster !)
The M8 team (Phong & Giang): It was quite a coincidence that the two top players from VN Airlines were able to team up for this tournament. As a high ranking ex-squash player, Phong has probably the fastest bullet serve in our club. He is considered one of the most skillful and smartest players with a powerful topspin forehand and volley. Giang is a more conservative player with a solid baseline game, who can easily wear his opponents out with his accurate lob shots ! (another ... lobster)
On the Mixed Doubles side, we note the following:
The X1 team (Hoang-Oanh & Dung P.): With a strong serve and a solid baseline game, Hoang-Oanh is no doubt one of the most powerful players in the women team. Her hair-legged partner Dung P. also has a powerful forehand and volley.
The X2 team (My & Tuan-Anh): My, probably the most improved player among the ladies, has a good baseline game and equally strong in both forehand and backhand while Tuan-Anh is a powerful defense player. They have the advantage of having played as a team before, however it appears their major disadvantage is that none of them wanted to take the net !.
The X3 team (Kim-Oanh & Thao): Kim-Oanh is quite a precision player who can place the ball in any corner of the court and makes her opponents run out of breath! She must have learned the skill by keeping her husband, Landy ... breathless on the court from their weekly games?!. Despite the fact that 2/3 of his time was on business trips outside Singapore, and he only picked up the tennis racket seriously last year, Thao has improved tremendously. This SMIP (Super Most Improved Player) can only play on Saturdak and Sundak, since he has to work at Kodak from Mondak to Fridak (Kodak is fully Y2K compliant).
The X4 team (Thuy & Thanh): With an effective top spin serve and a steady ground stroke, "Cool lady" Thuy is indeed a good double partner. Thanh on the other hand was famous for his lethal back spin chop shot. We however noticed that he did not take advantage of this weapon during the tournament. How come?
The X5 team (Kyoung & Dung Dinh): Kyoung, the Korean better-half of Tuan started to play tennis only recently. However, she appears to be a consistent player who is ready to chase every ball that crosses the net. Dung Dinh could have performed better with Kyoung as his partner if he could speak Korean to her during the game! We all know that Dung really needs to talk a lot in order to do just anything well !!!
The X6 team (Kim-Trang & Khue): With the "numero uno" Albert as her personal coach, bodyguard and husband, Kim Trang has made significant progress and was able to develop a solid ground stroke, especially with a two-handed backhand. Khue's first serve is ... OK lah, however his second serve..."that one no enough!"
The X7 team (Minh-Trang & Giang): Another solid baseline player, Minh-Trang is a good double partner. However, she did not have a chance to practice enough having just returned from a long trip back to VN. Giang is as usual a steady and most reliable baseline player.
The X8 team: (Tuyet-Hoa & Minh): Tuyet-Hoa is probably the most experienced player among the Vietnamese lady tennis players in Singapore. Minh has a strong forehand and feels more at home in the baseline.
The XC1 team: (Bich-Hanh & Landy): The youngest and also one of the most improved women tennis players, Bich Hanh plays equally well both at the baseline and at the net. Unfortunately, she arrived late and could only joined the Consolation round, otherwise her team could be a strong contender for the championship trophy. While Landy was perfectly happy at the net when playing in the Men'd Double team, he took every opporunity to rush the net when playing with Bich Hanh ! His net play tactic seems to work very well for the team.
Have a great summer.
Reported by NGUYEN MINH
Edited by Qua^n Su+
PS. Incidentally, these are the final results of the 1999 Vietnamese Tennis Tournament in Singapore.
MEN'S DOUBLES
Champions
Vo Ta Han & Nguyen Minh
Runners Up
Nguyen Quang Phong & Le Truong Giang
Consolation Winners
Dai Dung & Anh Ly
MIXES DOUBLES
Champions
Antoine Kim-Trang & Tran Dinh Khue
Runners Up
Hoang My & Mai Tuan-Anh
Consolation Winners
Mai Bich Hanh & Landy Eng
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