Chance number five

It's safe to say that Nakashima does not like facing Shelton...

Nakashima started with a very clean win against Quinn, serving very well (13 aces, 0 DFs), especially under pressure (multiple aces or unreturned serves on pressure points). Quinn's FH got hot at times, but Nakashima was able to hold steady and had a significant advantage in BH exchanges! It was a typical solid Nakashima performance in matches where he is the favorite. Shelton had a straightforward win against Mannarino, avoiding losing to him three times in a row and having to call him "Daddy"! I want to point out that Mannarino was really bothered in this match; he had huge problems keeping the ball in court (after set 1, he said the stringer in Toronto was bad) and on return, except for a few games where he got a look at some second serves + DFs.

So, Nakashima struggles hard in this matchup. Four matches played, 0-9 in sets... that's not good! He keeps it competitive, though, eight out of nine sets have been 7-5 or a TB! The issue is, he has not won a single one of those sets... It makes sense why this is a tough matchup for Nakashima; he gets no rhythm from Shelton and has less firepower and a worse serve than Shelton. Unlike someone like Fokina, he lacks great movement and forecourt skills... He plays his solid first-strike tennis with a reliable serve and a +1, but against someone like Shelton, he lacks anything "extra" that can push him through. Nakashima is a player who has largely remained consistent in terms of style, but has improved within that style. Does he have something in his bag to throw at Shelton for this match, or will he rely on the same things that have made him lose all previous matches in straight sets? If I were to give him something that could work to his advantage, it would be that Shelton might become a bit too confident, and he could take advantage of that. I also want to say that I thought Nakashima was tested a lot more in his first round against Quinn than Shelton was versus Mannarino. On the other hand, we have to acknowledge that Nakashima might feel discouraged going into this match due to the heavy beatdowns he has received...