Nov 17,2024
Nhat Nguyen became the first Irish player to win back-to-back AIG Victor Irish Opens since Colin Bell in 1973 when he defeated Malaysia's Tan Jia Jie 2-1 on Saturday.
Nguyen marched into the decider on Friday when he overcame Finland's Kalle Koljonen 21-12, 21-16, and he produced the goods again to thrill the home fans at Dublin's National Indoor Arena.
It was a ding-dong battle from the off.
Nguyen had to dig deep to win the opening set 22-20, with Tan making the two-time Olympian fight for every point.
Tan flexed his muscles in the second set, powering to a 21-14 win to level things up.
Nguyen took the initiative in the deciding set. He came out the right side of a heart-stopping rally to move 10-5 ahead, but Tan kept scrapping.
Ultimately Nguyen closed it out, 21-19, to defend his crown and cap a fine year.
In the summer, Nguyen failed to get out of a really difficult group at the Paris Games, losing to eventual gold medallist Viktor Axelsen in their climactic winner-takes-all clash.
But he has youth on his side as he continues to enhance his reputation at home and on the international stage.
