World number one Victoria Azarenka completely won the hearts of local fans during her competition at the Heineken Stars tournament on Thursday at Ho Chi Minh City’s Lan Anh Club, although it was only an exhibition event. The exhibition was also joined by three other well-known tennis players, Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia – No.13), Gilles Simon (France – No.17), and Feliciano Lopez (Spain – No.31), where the world-class players competed in three events. Azarenka played Cibulkova in the women’s single, Simon faced Lopez in the men’s single, and they all teamed up for the men and women’s mixed doubles, including the Azarenka – Lopez, and Cibulkova – Simon duos. Hundreds of local and even foreign fans flocked to Lan Anh Club three hours before the matches started to meet their favorite players. Tony, a tourist from Texas, the US, said it was the first time he watched a live performance of Azarenka. At 4:40, Azarenka led the star team through the excited crowds to the court amid loud cheering and applause. The players impressed local fans with their professionalism in their warm-ups, and communication with the crows. Simon appeared humorous while chatting with some spectators, while Cibulkova showed her friendliness. Lopez won the hearts of many girls with his manliness, while Azarenka revealed to the fans that it was Lopez’s 31st birthday. The crowd then sang “Happy Birthday” to the Spanish player. The most highly anticipated moment was when fans were allowed to take photos with their idols, with hundreds of them scrambling to the stage. After the onstage meeting, 1,900 spectators enjoyed the world-class performance of the players.Satisfied In the men’s single game, Lopez beat Simon 2 – 1 after a comeback to celebrate his birthday, while the female players wowed fans with their thrilling and enthusiastic games. Cibulkova made use of her brilliant techniques, while Azarenka attacked with powerful volleys. The Belarusian claimed a 2-0 (6-2, 6-3) victory. “If it had been a real match rather than just an exhibition, it would have been much cooler,” said Vietnam’s number one player, Do Minh Quan. “All players proved that they are at very high levels. This is the first time I have witnessed the competition of such big stars.” In the last match, the female duo defeated the men’s team 10 – 3.