Hoang Nam Ly has reached the top of Asian pickleball—and he has done it faster than almost anyone could have anticipated.
The former tennis star claimed the No. 1 spot in the DUPR Asian rankings with 6,267 points, becoming the first Vietnamese player to top the continental standings. It is a landmark achievement for Ly personally and a statement of intent for Vietnamese pickleball as a whole—a sport that has gone from novelty to national force in barely over a year.
Ly is not alone at the top. Vietnam has placed five players in the DUPR Asian top 10: Ly at No. 1, followed by Phuc Huynh at No. 2, Luc Pham at No. 3, Hien Truong at No. 5, and Nguyen Viet Hoang at No. 9. No other country comes close to matching that depth in the continental rankings—a dominance that reflects the investment Vietnam’s pickleball community has made in developing elite players quickly and seriously.
For Hoang Nam Ly, the ranking is the latest chapter in one of the sport’s most compelling conversion stories. He was previously Vietnam’s top-ranked tennis player and gained international recognition at just 17 when he and India’s Sumit Nagal won the boys’ doubles title at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships. He switched to pickleball in early 2025—and within months, was competing at the top of the Asian game. His April victory at the PPA Asia Hanoi Cup accelerated his climb, and he now sits at world No. 20—a ranking that reflects not just the pace of his development but the level at which he is already competing.
The timing is significant. The Pickleball World Cup 2026 is set for Da Nang, Vietnam from 30 August to 6 September 2026, expected to draw around 4,000 athletes from more than 80 countries and territories. Vietnam enters as a host nation with five of Asia’s top 10 players, a home crowd behind them, and momentum that has been building since Nam first picked up a paddle.
The expectations are real—and the squad to meet them is in place.
