Paris 2024: Nhat Nguyen hopes ended by Danish powerhouse Viktor Axelsen

Nhat Nguyen's Paris Games is over after the Irishman fell to a 2-0 defeat to reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in their winner-takes-all Group P badminton clash on Wednesday morning.

Only one player from the four-man group progressed to the quarters, with Axelsen – the gold medallist in Tokyo three years ago – representing a massive final hurdle.

Nguyen had set up this showdown with a comfortable defeat of Nepal's Prince Dahal on Monday, having beaten Israel’s Misha Zilberman in his opener, but this was always going to be a significant step up.

Axelsen had beaten Nguyen 2-0 in both of their previous meetings, at the World Championships and the European Games. Ultimately, he proved too strong again, though 24-year-old Nguyen goes home from his second Games with plenty of positives.

He made a bright start, catching out the Dane with his intelligent net play and technical ability.

Axelsen’s renowned smash – ferociously powerful – was too hot to handle at times, and they were tied 6-6 after a tight start to the opening game.

Axelsen’s height and athleticism makes him an imposing figure, but Nguyen continued to play smart, taking an 11-9 lead into the midgame break thanks to a super crossfield finish.

Axelsen, fuelled by that overhead smash, roared back. He claimed the next five points of the game before a wide gave Nguyen a reprieve. It didn’t last long, as the favourite reasserted his dominance to race into a 19-13 lead.

Axelsen duly closed out the game 21-13, and Nguyen looked up against it.

He kept battling, pinching some good points in the second game, but Axelsen’s physicality ground him down. It was 11-5 at the interval as the Dane went for the kill, his telescopic limbs snuffing out Nguyen’s efforts to stretch the