Vietnam's Ly Hoang Nam defeated Gao Xin of China 7-5, 6-2 in the first round match of the Cambodia F3 Futures tennis tournament in Phnom Penh yesterday.

 Vietnam's top tennis player Ly Hoang Nam.

Nam, who has to start from the qualification round, met some difficulty in the first set before dominating in the second when he nabbed two break points for a persuasive win.

Nam, who is the Wimbledon boys' doubles champion, will play Kim Cheong-eui of South Korea next.

Kim, who is seeded No 5, won 6-3, 6-1 over Japanese wildcard Katsushi Fukada in an earlier match yesterday.

The F3 Futures event on hard surface will close on December 13, with US$10,000 delivered to the winners.

VNS