Vu Ha Minh Duc was again eliminated in the opening match of the Phan Thiet Challenger

The Challenger Tour level continues to be too challenging for Vietnam's top-ranked tennis player at present.

Vietnam's No. 1 tennis player, Vu Ha Minh Duc, suffered a 0-2 loss (1-6; 2-6) against Pol Martin Tiffon (world No. 264) in the opening round of the tournament ATP Challenger 50 Phan Thiet II 2026 held on the afternoon of January 26 at the NovaWorld International Tennis Complex in Lam Dong.

It is not surprising to be stopped by an opponent with a clearly superior level, but compared to the 0-6; 0-6 defeat against Arthur Weber a week ago, Vu Ha Minh Duc showed much improvement. The 2003-born player had many impressive rallies, forcing Martin Tiffon to stay in place and earning enthusiastic applause from the fans in the stands.

Minh Duc started poorly, his shots lacked confidence and he lost two service games in a row, allowing Martin Tiffon to take a 4-0 lead. The Vietnamese player later reached 30-0 in the return game but could not cause an upset, eventually scoring his first point in the match and ending the first set with a 1-6 loss.

The reigning national champion again lost an early break, but the second set displayed an outstanding performance from the home representative. Minh Duc scored two aces, delivered stunning winners, and nearly won game 5 without conceding a point.

However, failing to maintain the necessary intensity consistently, combined with the opponent's fast and sharp playing style, prevented Minh Duc from holding his ground.

This will be a valuable experience for Vu Ha Minh Duc’s career, serving as the clearest evidence of the significant gap between Vietnamese tennis and the regional and continental levels at present.

The victory over Vietnam’s biggest hope advanced Pol Martin Tiffon to the round of 16 at the Phan Thiet II 2026 Challenger, where he will face Maximus Jones (Thailand) — a rematch of the Nonthaburi Challenger final two weeks ago, where the Spaniard won in a thrilling three-set match to claim his first Challenger title.