Big Opening Win for Nhat Nguyen in Thailand

After 1 hour and 20 minutes, Nhat Nguyen could finally let out a roar of relief, as he, for the first time, defeated Lakshya Sen from India in the first round of the 2025 Thailand Open.
Lakshya Sen, ranked number 18 in the world, entered the match as a heavy favorite against Nhat Nguyen, who is currently ranked number 34.

Both players had taken a month-long break from competition following their respective appearances at the continental championships in Europe and Asia. And whatever energy the two had stored up was certainly spent in a match that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes before Nhat could watch the final shuttle land beyond the baseline.

It was a match that swung back and forth. Nhat took the first game 21-18 after the two had been neck and neck up to 18-18. In the second game, they followed each other closely until 6-6, before Sen took control of the game and dominated. He won the second game convincingly, 21-9. This set up a tough challenge for the young Irishman heading into the deciding third game.

After the score was tied 3-3 in the final game, Nhat led for the rest of the match, though never by a wide margin. He managed to keep his Indian opponent from drawing level, and eventually, Nhat emerged victorious, winning the third game 21-17.

Next round won’t be any easier for Nhat, as he faces world number 11 Loh Kean Yew from Singapore, who last week secured the title at the Super 300 tournament, the Taipei Open.