Ly Hoang Nam .

HA NOI  (VNS) — Ly Hoang Nam helped Viet Nam defeat Syria 2-1 in the second match of Group B at the Davis Cup's Group III Asia/Oceania Zone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.

In the first men's singles rubber, Nguyen Hoang Thien lost to Kareem Allaf 6-7 (3-7), 1-6.

The pressure was placed on 18-year-old Nam's shoulder, as a loss would have meant Viet Nam would have lost out on a place in the final.

The youngster had a shaky start, but came from behind to beat his rival 6-4, 6-1 to level the score for Viet Nam.

In the men's doubles, Nam and Do Minh Quan quickly defeated Nour and Marc Abdelnour 6-2, 6-4 to take a 2-1 lead.

In their first match, Viet Nam crushed Turkmenistan 3-0.

Viet Nam's next rivals will be Cambodia. — VNS