Brandon Nakashima, a 28th seed, had never made it to an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal until this week. Now, he finds himself contending for the championship title. Nakashima secured a spot in the National Bank Open men’s singles final by defeating Rafael Jodar, a rising star and crowd favorite, with a score of 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Expressing his excitement, Nakashima stated, “I knew I was playing at a high level coming into the tournament, which gave me confidence in making a deep run here. I’m thrilled with my performance and the hard work that has led me to this moment. I am looking forward to the final tomorrow.”
In the final, Nakashima will face defending champion Ben Shelton in an all-American showdown on Thursday. Shelton, seeded fifth, swiftly defeated Learner Tien, another American player, with a score of 6-2, 6-3 in just 84 minutes on Wednesday.
During the match, Nakashima exhibited dominance, particularly in his serve, winning 68% of his first-service points while maintaining an 85% first serve rate on the center court at IGA Stadium. On the other hand, Jodar, a 19-year-old seeded 20th, struggled with his serve, landing only 59% of his first serves and winning merely 51% of his second-serve points against Nakashima’s aggressive play.
Following the loss, Jodar’s impressive streak came to an end. He had been aiming to become the youngest Canadian Open finalist since Rafael Nadal in 2005. Nakashima attributed his victory to his strong serve and forehand, emphasizing the need for aggression and strategic play.
The intense semifinal match concluded with Nakashima serving for the win at 5-4 in the second set, enduring a challenging game against Jodar. Despite the Spaniard’s resilient efforts and the crowd’s support, Nakashima managed to secure the victory after a series of tense moments.
In the women’s category, Iga Swiatek secured her spot in the WTA Tour final after defeating Elina Svitolina in a thrilling match that lasted over two hours. The former world No. 1 will face the winner of the semifinal between Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina for the championship title on Thursday night.