Vietnamese pickleball players declared co-champions after ball dispute in Philippines
VOV.VN- Vietnamese pickleball players Quang Duong and Phuc Huynh were declared co-champions of the men’s singles event at the Mindanao Open in the Philippines after a dispute over the type of ball used prevented the final from being played.
The two Vietnamese players advanced to the men’s singles final, but the match could not take place after the players and organizers failed to reach agreement on the type of ball to be used.
According to organizers, the tournament did not have a fixed rule on the type of ball used during competition. A 40-hole ball was used on the opening day, while a 48-hole ball was used on the second day.
The lack of a consistent regulation led to disagreement before the final, with Quang Duong wanting to use the 48-hole ball and Phuc Huynh wanting to use the 40-hole ball.
As neither player was willing to compromise and organizers were unable to resolve the issue, the tournament decided to award the men’s singles title jointly to both Vietnamese players without staging the final.
Following the incident, organizers of the Mindanao Open apologized to spectators, pledged to improve tournament organization and confirmed that the 40-hole ball would become the standard ball used at the event.
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