Born Luu Hoang-Duc in 1944, he represented South Vietnam in both the Asian Games and South East Asian (SEA) Games. Together with compatriot Vo Van Bay, they won a silver medal in men’s doubles at the V Asiad in Bangkok in 1966 in addition to two more golds in men’s doubles at the SEA Games in 1965 and 1967. He also claimed a SEA Games men’s singles bronze medal in 1965. He made his Davis Cup debut in 1964 when South Vietnam entered the competition for the first time that year. He played No. 1 singles and doubles and led his team to the Eastern Zone B Finals in 1964 and 1965. In all, he played eight Davis Cup ties from 1964-1969. Due to political instability, he moved to Hong Kong following an away tie against Korea in Seoul in 1969. In 1964, he also competed in the singles maindraw of the Australasian Championships (now Australian Open).
Tau Luu dominated the tennis scene in Hong Kong upon arrival, winning the CRC Open men’s singles title a record eight consecutive times from 1970-1977. He won the last edition of the Hong Kong Grass Court Championships in 1976 and added the SCAA and CRC Opens that same year to complete the first-ever local Triple Crown.
In 1977, he won both the singles and doubles at the Pattaya Open in Thailand, as well as the men’s doubles (w/ Ling Fong) at the Hong Kong Invitational Hardcourt Championships with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Japanese top seed Akinori Naguro and Tetsu Kuramitsu in the final. Tau Luu conducted most of the weekly training of the 1976 and 1977 Hong Kong Junior Squads that featured future standouts the likes of Kelvin Inge and Patricia Hy when they were still under 14 years of age. In 1985, at the age of 41, he teamed up with Randall King to become the first duo to sweep the men’s doubles titles at the Hong Kong National Tennis Championships, SCAA Open, and CRC Open in the same year. He is best known for his powerful forehand and pinpoint accurate smash.
Tau Luu passed away in 1999 due to cancer.
Local Majors
Men’s Singles
Hong Kong Grass Court Championships
1970 1976
CRC Open
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
SCAA Open
1974 1975 1976
Men’s Doubles
Hong Kong Grass Court Championships
1969 1976
CRC Open
1972 1977 1985
SCAA Open
1975 1981 1985
Hong Kong National Tennis Championships
1985
Mixed Doubles
CRC Open
1976 1977 1979 1981 1982
Hong Kong National Tennis Championships
1978 1980 1982