DUBLIN TEENAGER NHAT Nguyen gave a good account of himself in defeat at the Badminton World Championships in Nanjing on Tuesday.
Nguyen, 17, was handed a tough draw against fifth seed Srikanth Kidambi in the first round of the men’s singles, and was beaten 21-15 21-16.
Kidambi showed his class early on, opening up an 11-5 lead in the first game, but Nguyen rallied impressively and briefly threatened an upset when he edged 15-14 in front before his experienced opponent reeled off seven unanswered points.
Nguyen hung tough again in the second game, matching Kidambi shot for shot to keep matters level at 9-9.
The Sri Lankan turned the screw to open up a seven-point gap, 17-10, and although Nguyen won the next five points to close it again just as quickly, he never got any closer.
In the last 32 of the mixed doubles, Donegal siblings Chloe and Sam Magee were beaten 21-11 21-15 by Chi-Lin Wang and Chia Hsin Lee of Taiwan.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
