HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Tennis, anyone? The organizers of the first international tournament in Vietnam sure hope so. This communist state is hosting the Vietnam Open this week, hoping the event will build on growing support for the sport. ``This tournament will be a booster for Vietnamese players and the development of tennis in Vietnam,'' tournament director Amit Naor said. ``By staging this event, this will show Vietnam can host major international events in other sports, too.'' The event, with a relatively small purse of $380,000, is being played at Ho Chi Minh City's Phu Tho Stadium. None of the world's top-ranked players are here -- No. 1 Roger Federer is playing in neighboring Thailand -- though No. 10 Mariano Puerta of Argentina, No. 14 Thomas Johansson of Sweden and No. 16 Radek Stepaneck of the Czech Republic were in the field. Vietnam's top player, Do Minh Quan, was also in the field. ``It would be wonderful for Vietnamese fans who will have a chance to see world -class players in action,'' Nguyen Hoang Nang, director of the Sports Department in Ho Chi Minh City, said. ``Hopefully, the Vietnam Open will be an annual event.'' Tennis has been on the upswing in Vietnam recently, with 3,000 to 4,000 courts having been built in the last six or seven years, and more than 100,000 players participating, according to Tran Ngoc Linh, general secretary of the Vietnam Tennis Association. First introduced in Vietnam at the turn of the last century by the French, tennis was considered an elite sport since only the French and wealthy locals could afford it. The sport was almost abandoned in the north after the communists defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, but it remained popular in southern Vietnam, which was ruled by a U.S.-backed government. After Vietnam was reunified in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War, the sport was all but forgotten as the country endured economic crisis and isolation. But with Vietnam's economy steadily picking up, and an emerging middle class with more time and money on its hands, there's been a racket revival. Amateur tennis is big business. Rackets, shoes and apparel can costs hundreds of dollars. Court rentals are $4.50 per hour, or 70,000 Vietnamese dong. Hosting an ATP event is huge boost for the sport, although ticket prices are steep for the Vietnamese -- $75 to $142. ``It would help to create an impetus for Vietnam's tennis development,'' Linh said. ``And Vietnamese players will have a chance to learn from world-class players.'' Though Vietnam remains a developing nation, Naor is confident the decision to bring big-time tennis here is a good one given the country's potential. ``We went into Russia 15 years ago. There were no vending machines back then but it has become one of the best tournaments we have,'' he said. ``We expect the same thing here.'' --

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