Brandon Nakashima beat 19-year-old Zachary Svajda 7-5 7-6 (7-5) in an all-American Next Gen match at the San Diego Open at the Barnes Tennis Center.
Nakashima fended off three set points at 4-5 in the second set and failed to serve out the match at 6-5. The US player fought back from 3-5 down in the tie-break by winning four points to seal the tie-break 7-5. Nakashima went up a break three times in the match, but Svajda pulled back on serve each time.
Nakashima was playing his first match since a third-round defeat in four sets against Jannik Sinner at the US Open.
The US player of Asian origin, who broke into the Top 50 last July, could rise as high as number 44 if he wins the San Diego title. He is currently seventh in the ATP Race to Milan. Last year he lost to Sebastian Korda in the semifinal of the Next Gen Finals in Mlan.
“It was a very tough match, right from the beginning. Zach is so talented out there, striking the ball really well. We are good friends off the court. We practise a lot together here in San Diego, so I knew it was going to be a tough match here today”,said Nakashima. Denis Kudla beat Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-3. Mitchell Krueger saw off Christopher Eubanks 6-4 6-4. Taro Daniel edged US qualifier Emilio Nava 6-4 6-3.
