The Vietnam women’s tennis team secured promotion to Group II of the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania region following a decisive playoff victory over Nepal. This marks a historic milestone as the squad advances to Group II of the international team competition for the first time.
Tournament Reward Bolsters Next Year's Training Budget
- Federation Funding: The squad secured a 300 million VND financial reward from the tournament run, directly bolstering the training budget for next year’s Group II campaign.
Playoff Battle at NovaWorld Phan Thiet
The promotion showdown concluded on the courts of the NovaWorld Phan Thiet complex in Tien Thanh Dong commune, Lam Dong province, wrapping up an eight-team tournament that was hosted in Vietnam for the second year. The tie against Nepal hinged on a tense three-match battle.
In the opening singles rubber, Tran Thuy Thanh Truc edged Shriyana Thapa in a three-set grind, 2-1 (6-0, 6-7, 6-4). But Nepal leveled the score when Nguyen Thi Mai Linh dropped a straight-sets battle to Swastika Vista, both sets ending in grueling 7-6 tiebreaks.
The decisive doubles rubber went to the Vietnamese pairing of Luise Natasha and Thanh Truc. They closed out the tie by defeating Shriyana Thapa and Swastika Vista 2-0 (6-4, 7-6) to seal the promotion spot.
| Match Type | Winning Player(s) | Losing Player(s) | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singles 1 | Tran Thuy Thanh Truc | Shriyana Thapa | 2-1 (6-0, 6-7, 6-4) |
| Singles 2 | Swastika Vista | Nguyen Thi Mai Linh | 2-0 (7-6, 7-6) |
| Doubles | Luise Natasha & Thanh Truc | Shriyana Thapa & Swastika Vista | 2-0 (6-4, 7-6) |
Looking Ahead to the 2027 Group II Campaign
With the promotion officially secured, the Vietnam team advances to the higher tier. The final tournament standings placed Nepal in second, followed by Northern Mariana Islands, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Brunei, and Iraq further down the classification table.
The Vietnam Tennis Federation emphasized that hosting the Group III event for two straight years strengthened local infrastructure and gave domestic athletes vital home-court experience against international competition.
