It’s already becoming a habit for Brandon Nakashima to bring out his best tennis at the Atlanta Open, the tournament where he has scored even more wins in his career. On Wednesday he reached six at the ATP 250 hard court event following beating Australian John Millman 7-6 (8), 6-4 to qualify for the quarterfinals for the second consecutive edition.
The #NextGenATP American (21 and under) had to fight quite a bit to get it, especially in the first set where he was 4/6 and 6/7 in the tie-break. After picking up three set points, one of them a return, he held on to the set and in the fifth game of the following set he earned a key break to qualify for the quarterfinals for the third time this season.
“There were a lot of long rallies and the court conditions were tough as always here in Atlanta, but luckily I was able to squeeze out that first set,” said the 20-year-old, who suffered no breaks in the match. “Then I was lucky to get an early break in the second set and hold it until the end.”
“I think court speed definitely suits my game a lot,” he said of the conditions in Atlanta, where he is already 6-1. “I like the faster and hotter conditions. That mix seems to be ideal for my game.”
You May Also Like: Barrier Overcome! Zapata Will Make His ATP Tour Quarterfinal Debut
His next opponent will be fourth-seeded compatriot Frances Tiafoe, who won 7-5, 6-4 once morest Japan’s Taro Daniel on the same day. Tiafoe owns a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record once morest Nakashima, including victories this season at the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami.
“He definitely has my number … but every game with him is very close and we’re good friends off the court,” Nakashima, last year’s finalist in Atlanta, said of their next matchup. “Either way, I know it’s going to be a good fight.”
In other results on the day, fifth-seeded fellow American Tommy Paul matched his season personal best of 25 tour wins with a 6-3, 6-3 victory once morest Soonwoo Kwon. The 25-year-old is through to the quarter-finals for the seventh time this year. He will now face his compatriot Steve Johnson or Ilya Ivashka.
