The 104th-ranked Denis Kudla will play world number 69 Brandon Nakashima in the second round of the 2022 San Diego Open.
Nakashima, who entered the San Diego Open with a record of 11–12 in matches on hard courts, quickly built a 2-0 lead in the first set before dropping serve in the following game. At 5-5, he fortunately earned himself two break opportunities, and he converted the first one before serving it out. Once again, Nakashima broke first in the second set, but she dropped the very next game to tie the score at 3. At 6-5, Nakashima had a chance to serve it out, but he dropped his serve once more, forcing the match into a tiebreaker. To advance to the quarterfinals, he must now defeat another American, albeit an ineffective one.
Although he faced a struggling Fernando Verdasco, Kudla’s performance at the highest level has been so dismal that there was little hope he would win it with easy. Since he entered the contest coming off of five straight losses, Kudla may have even surprised himself when he won his opening match 6-3, 6-3. In both sets, Kudla dropped his serve once each, although that was after he had already broken Verdasco twice. The match lasted just one hour and 19 minutes.
Kudla will be aware of how difficult it will be to defeat Nakashima, but the ease with which he defeated Verdasco may provide him with some encouragement.
Brandon Nakashima vs Denis Kudla Match Details
Tournament: US Open
Date: September 23, 2022
Venue: San Diego, California, United States
Surface: Hard
Round: Second round
Category: Men’s Singles
Prize Money: $612,000
Brandon Nakashima vs Denis Kudla Head-to-Head Record
These players have met twice before, and each time they have each won one game. While Nakashima avenged that defeat by winning in the 2022 Delray Beach Open, Kudla had won their match at the Washington Open in 2021.
Also read: Roger Federer announced his farewell in the Laver Cup 2022
Brandon Nakashima vs Denis Kudla Prediction
Given his opponent’s recent success, Nakashima is a strong favourite, but one should proceed with caution given his own recent setbacks and the possibility that Kudla may have gained some confidence. Nakashima might still triumph, but only after Kudla has thoroughly humiliated him in at least one of the sets.
Prediction: Nakashima to win in 3
Brandon Nakashima Last three performances
- San Diego Open: First round- b. Svajda 7-5, 7-6(5)
- US Open: Third round- l. Sinner 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 2-6
- US Open: Second round- b. Dimitrov 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-3
Denis Kudla Last three performances
- San Diego Open: First round- b. Verdasco 6-3, 6-3
- Cary Challenger: Semifinal- l. Koepfer 6-7, 3-6
- Cary Challenger: Quarterfinal- b. Mena 6-3, 6-1
Broadcast and Live Stream Details
- US – Tennis Channel
- UK – Tennis TV (live streaming)
- Australia – beIN Sports
- Canada – TSN
- India – Discovery/ Tennis TV
Also read: 5 Players to look out for in Davis Cup 2022
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