Mr. Nakashima, please!

The American is currently taking a huge leap forward and, just like Jodar, we keep wondering when he will finally explode physically.

Big win over Medvedev which, for me, means a lot for Nakashima. Sure, we can talk about the saved match points, but even with a defeat, I felt that in the first set he was already showing enough positive things to be satisfied in a match-up he really doesn’t like at all, and with a bit of accumulated fatigue on top of that. At no point did he stop believing or fighting. That really is something that defines him and makes him the player he is today. He’s not the most talented, but he works very hard and does everything with seriousness and professionalism. He deserves to be where he is. However, the run is going to start becoming very tough now, especially with no rest day and a demanding match on many levels against Medvedev.

He now faces Borges who, to a lesser extent, is already having an interesting American swing. The Portuguese player is putting together good matches and has just easily beaten Rublev, whom he had always lost to before. That could also do his confidence a lot of good. He still needs to move up another level, but it’s clearly within reach now. I’m just a bit worried about Nakashima’s serving quality, which could completely shut him down. In the rallies, even though Nakashima attacks well, he’s still a rather solid player who gives his opponents some time, which I find very interesting for Borges. If the Portuguese finds himself in a neutral position or gets chances to dictate play, I think he can really hurt the American. He’s also someone who is mentally strong and will be able to challenge him on that front, while imposing a big physical battle, because he’s fresher at the moment.

For a first meeting, it’s an interesting one. I think this match will still be pretty tight, because both players serve very well. Yes, Nakashima is one of the best servers in the world right now, but Borges has really been feeling the ball well on serve for weeks already. They’re going to focus on holding their serve, and we should end up seeing a fairly tight match overall.