IRELAND’S NHAT NGUYEN beat French man Alex Lanier to win the men’s singles in the AIG FZ Forza Irish Open at the National Indoor arena today.

The 23-year-old won in straight sets – 21-13, 21-19 – yet he came from behind in a competitive final set, sealing victory from 19-15 down.

This is Nguynen’s first time winning the Irish Open, and it will help his qualification prospect for the Paris Olympics next year. He represented Ireland at the Toyko Games.  

Nguyen moved with his family to Dublin from Vietnam when he was six. He became European Under-17 champion aged 15.

“I think (becoming European U17 champion) was the beginning of my career. It gave me a good push (and told me) I was going in the right direction,” he told The 42 in 2017.

“I only started playing badminton when I came here. I joined the local club with my dad, just to play around and get to know the other kids,” he said then. 

“Winning the titles and getting to the final of the Irish Open shows that I can compete with these guys. Give me a few years and I’ll definitely make my mark on the top level. That’s the plan.”