ATP Queen’s Club: Brandon Nakashima vs Lorenzo Musetti; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti recently overcame a ‘Demonic’ challenge in the R32 of the Queen’s Club Championships. He defeated the in-form Alex de Minaur (7) by 1-6,6-4,6-2 and now he’s all set to take on America’s Brandon Nakashima. The 22-year-old American tennis has also started his grass court season pretty well and now both the tennis stars will be looking forward to gaining a fair bit of momentum ahead of the Wimbledon.

Brandon Nakashima is in red-hot form this season and has produced some stellar performances in the Challengers this year. If we look at the results of his previous tournaments, we can see that he has already won one title this year. Apart from that, he has also reached one final, five SFs, and three QFs. Lorenzo Musetti, on the other hand, has appeared in two finals and one SF this year. So, this match has all the ingredients to make it a blockbuster showdown on Thursday (June 20).

Brandon Nakashima vs Lorenzo Musetti: Preview

Nakashima has surprised everyone with his grass-court prowess this season. Although his opponent from his previous match was forced to retire midway, his numbers looked quite impressive in that match as well. Dan Evans was forced to retire when the score was well-poised at 6-4,3-6,0-0 due to a knee injury. In that match, Brandon Nakashima hit eleven aces and committed just two double faults. He won 69% of his first serve and 40% of his second serve against the British tennis player. However, the American could only convert three out of his seven breakpoints in that match.

Brandon Nakashima has hit 127 aces so far this season and has committed 18 double faults. He has won 88% of his service and 15% of his return games. The youngster seems to be getting better with every match on this surface. Can he outclass the Italian and make his way to the next round of the Queen’s Club Championships?

Well, Lorenzo Musetti may well have the perfect answer to this question. Musetti defeated Alex de Minaur in his previous match in a three-set thriller. In that match, he fired seven aces and committed just three double faults. He won 72% of his first serve and 34% of his second serve against the Australian. Musetti was 4/4 on the breakpoints in that match.

If we look at his numbers from this season, the 22-year-old Italian has hit 80 aces so far this season and has committed 40 double faults. He has won 78% of his service games and 19% of his return games.

Nakashima vs Musetti: Head-to-Head

Brandon Nakashima hasn’t yet faced Lorenzo Musetti in his career. Both the players have won four out of their last five matches, and this is what makes this contest more interesting. Musetti reached the QF here in 2023 and he’ll be now looking forward to making it in the QF yet again this year. Whereas, Nakashima has never competed in this tournament before. Who has the edge in this epic contest?

Prediction: Nakashima to win in three sets

The American has been in better form this year. He has a win-loss record of 10-9 this season, whereas Lorenzo Musetti has recorded 15-17. Although the Italian has the experience of making a deep run in this tournament, Brandon Nakshima’s current form may well keep him a bit ahead in this battle. However, Lorenzo Musetti is ranked 30th in the world and the American is currently placed at the 63rd spot in the men’s singles ranking. So, this match has all the possibilities of going a little deeper than expected.

Brandon Nakashima is known for his well-balanced game with excellent court coverage and a strong double-handed backhand. His serves and returns have a perfect blend of power and accuracy. Whereas, his opponent Lorenzo Musetti has an attacking style of play and he loves to snatch points from the nets. He is also comfortable playing from the baseline and has a long swing on both his forehands and backhands. Musetti loves to use his drop shots, but is it enough to stop the in-form American? Perhaps not!