{"id":8245,"date":"2024-05-26T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-26T07:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gowatkinsgo.com\/?p=8245"},"modified":"2024-05-22T09:56:44","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T09:56:44","slug":"asia-pickleball-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gowatkinsgo.com\/?p=8245","title":{"rendered":"Asia Pickleball Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael and Lucas headed to Ho Chi Minh to compete in the Asia Open Pickleball Championships<\/span>. They<\/span>\u00a0played singles and doubles<\/span>. There<\/span>\u00a0was no kids division, so Lucas played in the 19+ intermediate division in singles and the\u00a0open and advanced doubles divisions<\/span>. The<\/span>\u00a0tournament hosted over 600 players, prize money, and 16 countries represented.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

When Michael and Lucas arrived in Ho Chi Minh, they had a few days to explore and acclimate to the heat<\/span>. It<\/span>\u00a0was hard to adjust coming from Seoul, South\u00a0<\/span>Korea<\/span>\u00a0where the weather was\u00a0<\/span>cooler<\/span>. The<\/span>\u00a0temperature in Ho Chi Minh was around 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).\u00a0 They found pickleball on their first day in the city. They\u00a0met Jean Pierre Huynh Phu Qui (JP), the\u00a0owner of the facility\u00a0where the tournament took place. They\u00a0also met many professional pickleball players during the week and got to hit with them before the\u00a0tournament\u00a0started.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
JP in Black & part of founding 8 fathers of Vietnam pickleball<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They hit and had conversations with Marcel Chan and Phuc Huynh, two professional pickleball players from the States<\/span>. Coincidentally<\/span>, both players stayed at Michael’s sister’s house in Arizona when they traveled there for a pro tournament last year<\/span>.<\/span>\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On day one of the tournament, Michael and Lucas played a round-robin singles draw<\/span>. Lucas<\/span>\u00a0played three singles matches, all against players in their early 20s<\/span>. Lucas<\/span>\u00a0lost the first match 9-15, won his second match 15-2, and lost his third and final singles match 5-15<\/span>. His<\/span>\u00a0opponent from the last\u00a0<\/span>match<\/span>\u00a0won three gold medals in the\u00a0<\/span>last<\/span>\u00a0three tournaments he played in<\/span>. The<\/span>\u00a0competition was fierce, and Lucas is 13.<\/span><\/p>\n