Grass players

Nice match between two good grass players, well trained on top of that!

It's just a tiny bit less the case for Nakashima, who "simply" played Queen's before pulling out of Eastbourne due to some back discomfort. I followed him throughout Queen's, and he was rock solid for his first grass-court tournament. His serving quality, of course, means he gets broken very rarely. And his solidity from the baseline makes him a nightmare on grass. I underestimated him at Queen's, mea culpa Brandon, but I once again noticed a pattern where he tends to drop off a bit in the second half of the match. Heat, concentration (apparently he's the most accurate player on tour!). I’m trying not to be fooled by the way he walks, but your red cheeks give you away, my friend!

On the other side, you’ve got a Pinnington who’ll go down swinging. I’ve followed him too, and he’s a guy who never lets go. Of course, he doesn’t have the same average level as the American, but if he loses in 3 sets, I’d personally be quite surprised. He’s really not far off from taking a small step up. He plays the grass game perfectly. Except that now, grass is supposedly meant to favor this type of player less and less. In any case, as a good local, he’s going to give it everything...

In terms of the match-up, he’s going to need a bit of time to get used to Nakashima’s game. And then, things will level out a bit. He’ll have his chances and, if he takes them, he can lead Nakashima into a nice trap with a varied, short-rally style of play!