After a smashing first set the 23-year-old American runs out of fuel and gives way to the No. 4 in the world in 4 sets: 46 61 62 62
Chapeau to Brandon Nakashima, the 23-year old from San Diego, a 2022 Next Gen champion, who stepped out on the greatest stage of his career playing the same sparkling tennis he had previously exhibited to oust his more established peers, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti.
Though he had to save a breakpoint in the third game of the match, he was most often orchestrating the rallies. His constant pressure paid off and he snatched a break to lead 53.
There followed a rollercoaster game. Let’s play the reel. Shortly after Zverev failed to rise 30 40 by netting a comfortable smash, Nakashima mishit an equally comfortable forehand and conceded a breakback point, which he erased with a lightening backhand down the line.
Then he earned a first set point, but Zverev landed a winning crosscourt forehand.
Nakashima had to save a second break point with an impeccable serve and volley.
A third and fourth break point were erased with nicely-trimmed first serves.
A carelessly sprayed backhand by Zverev gifted a second set point.
It was the one that did its job. Brandon Nakashima’s New York dream could continue.
In spite of an apparently unchanged strategy, based on solid but not overwhelming rallying from the baseline, Zverev edged away immediately in thesecond set to a 30 lead. Nakashima’s brilliancy was being dimmed by unforced errors, and a slightly retreated position. Zverev leveraged on the twist to pluck up spirits and execution. He took the set 61 in 35 minutes, levelling the match.
“I was extremely defensive in the beginning of the match.” Zverev admitted in his interview on court “Brandon used it very well, played an awesome set. I knew I had to step up my game, take the ball on the rise a little bit more, play more aggressive.
Zverev’s shots were really starting to flow, backed by a first serve percentage over 70%. Multifaceted winners off the German side were stacking up. The young American appeared at loss for solutions: any foray to the net was annihilated by a passing shot, his capacity to explode winners from the baseline was constantly defused by the depth and lift of his opponent’s groundstrokes. The set swiftly slipped away and he was trailing 2 1.
Nakashima grittily saved two break points in the first game of the fourth set, but two games later, when he found himself chasing a sublime inside in forehand, hit by Zverev while dancing on the edge of the left doubles alley, his run appeared to end in a stoop, and his shoulders slumped. Zverev secured the break with a forehand drop volley.
31 down, Nakashima resolutely tried yet once more to rev up power. Unlike the first set, unlike his previous matches, he could never crack through. Zverev scored a second break with his signature backhand down the line. Two games later Zverev could rejoice in reaching his 4th quartefinal in New York.
In 2020 in New York he was ever so close to the title. Which will be the key to go all the way this time?
“Just winning one more set than the last two times in the final,” he jokes “I’m doing everything I can. Everything else is out of my power. I’m trying my best and hopefully it’s going to be enough at some time of my career.”
