Clash of two Californians! Taylor Fritz takes on Brandon Nakashima in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters. Both the players have played some really good tennis this year, so we can expect some nail-biting moments in this enticing contest. Beating Fritz on hard courts won’t be easy, but we all have seen what Nakashima can do on his day! The 23-year-old beat Fritz’s doubles partner, Tommy Paul in the R32 of the Canadian Open. Is it now time for him to get a similar result against the other one?

Taylor Fritz vs Brandon Nakashima: Preview

Fritz has had some incredible runs in his previous tournament this year. He has already won two titles and apart from that he has also reached one final, one SF, and four QFs this season. How far can he reach in Cincinnati? Well, for the time being, the answer lies in the hands of ‘B-Nak’. Fritz was defeated by Sebastian Korda in his previous match (R32) at the Canadian Open by 4-6,6(4)-7. Surely, he wouldn’t love to give a free ride to yet another compatriot!

Nakashima has got some extraordinary results in the Challengers this year. If we look at his overall record this season, the youngster has won one title and also reached one final in the Challengers. Apart from that, Nakashima has also managed to reach five SFs and three QFs in his previous tournaments this season. He is entering this match after his R16 defeat to Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open. Can he pull things back on track in Cincinnati? Well, that is the million-dollar question!

Fritz vs Nakashima: Head-to-Head

Both Fritz and Nakashima are set to become the torch-bearers of American tennis. They have enormous potential to deliver on the biggest stages of the game. However, if we look at the H2H scoreline, they have met only twice in their careers so far and currently, Fritz leads the H2H by 2-0.

• 2021 Indian Wells Open R64: Fritz 6-3,6-4.
• 2021 Wimbledon R128: Fritz 7-5,3-6,6-4,7-5.

Prediction: Fritz to win in straight sets

Fritz’s experience of playing at the bigger stages and his better decision-making ability, along with a good tactical awareness, will give him an edge over Nakashima in this contest. He has a win-loss record of 36-15 this season, but for Nakashima, it’s just 16-15. So, even their current form in the bigger events speaks on the same note. 

Looking at their playing styles, Fritz is basically an offensive baseliner with lethal groundstrokes in his armory. He can easily force errors out of his opponents with his powerful weapons. His strong and consistent forehand is another such weapon. However, his backhand is a bit on the flatter side and it generally has a much lower bounce. Fritz has hit 525 aces this season and this is a clear-cut example of how big a threat he is when it comes to the serves. Apart from all these kinds of stuff, Nakashima also needs to be a bit watchful of Fritz’s incredible topspin lob.

The 23-year-old is really one to watch for the future, but we still need time to consider Nakashima as a favorite over a proven campaigner like Fritz. Nakashima possesses a well-balanced game and he has excellent court coverage with a strong double-handed backhand. Moreover, his serves and returns have a perfect blend of power and precision. Are these enough to topple Fritz? Definitely not! Fritz reached the QF here in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, while Nakashima’s best record was reaching the R1 on three previous occasions. So, that’s more a statement itself backing the exact reason for our prediction.