Brandon Nakashima booked his spot in his first ATP Masters 1000 final on Wednesday at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal, where he defeated first-time Masters 1000 semifinalist Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-4.
In one of his best performances of the season, Nakashima played ultra-aggressively from the baseline, overpowering the 19-year-old Jodar with his big baseline ball striking in the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.
After winning a tight opening set on a tie-break, Nakashima crucially saved four break points when serving out at 5-4 in the second set to advance after two hours and four minutes
The American, who struck 28 winners and won 81 per cent of his first-serve points, raised his arms aloft after eventually sealing victory on his fifth match point following a dramatic final 10-minute game.
“It was crazy, the last few games were super tight,” Nakashima said in his on-court interview. “I knew I had to keep fighting and fight off a couple of break points but luckily my serve hit the spots when I needed it to and super happy to get through that one.”
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