Nge Naung prepares to hit the ball during his final match at Thein Phyu Tennis Centre on January 26. Pic: Aung Tun Win

THE Yangon Division tennis team won all titles to convincingly take first place in the 43rd States and Divisions Tennis Tournament, held at Yangon’s Thein Phyu Tennis Centre from January 20 to 26.

Yangon’s women players joined their male counterparts as champions after they defeated arch rivals and last year’s winners Mandalay Division in the final.

Sixteen team’s competed in the men’s tournament, which proved an upset for defending champion Sagaing Division, who was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Northern Shan State. They in turn lost to Yangon five matches to love in the final, which comprised four single matches and one double match.
The youthful Yangon team was made up of mainly teenagers in both the men’s and women’s sections.

Moe Chit The eyes the ball in the women's singles final.

Nineteen-year-old Nge Naung was named best player of the tournament after he defeated all players in the competition without dropping a single set.
It was his first year playing for Yangon after moving from last year’s champion Sagaing Division, under which he was named player of the tournament in 2005 also.

“I’m happy with my team’s victory, which is a very special event for me,” he said, referring to his unbeaten streak in the sixth State and Division Tennis Tournament he has competed in.

Nge Naung has trained under the guidance of the Myanmar Tennis Federation since his success at last year’s tournament, he said on the final day of the competition.

“Now I’m ready to play in the Myanmar Open in the first week of February, which will be more competitive and will put me up against the toughest players in the country.”

The women’s competition, in which nine teams participated, culminated in a thrilling singles decider match between Yangon’s Moe Chit The and Mandalay’s Ei Ei Chaw.

Moe Chit The took the first set 6-4 but fell behind Ei Ei Chaw 0-3 in the second, putting Yangon fans on the edge of their seats. Much to the excitement of the home crowd, 16-year-old Moe Chit The showed great determination and focus to claw back a 6-4 victory, putting Yangon in the winner’s circle by beating Mandalay three matches to two.

“In the first three games of the second set she played well and showed her best form, especially with some powerful and accurate drives from base line,” Moe Chit The said.

“But finally, I could control the match by using more powerful drives and I took the second set, which made me the best (female) player of the tournament and also made the team champion.”