By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday October 23, 2024

 

Brandon Nakashima toppled Stockholm champion Tommy Paul in Vienna for his eighth Top-20 win of the season.

Photo source: TTV

Brandon Nakashima has turned up his game since the summer, and the 23-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down. The World No.38 remained perfect against his compatriot Tommy Paul on Wednesday in Vienna, handing the No.4 seed a 6-4 6-4 loss that represents his sixth Top 20 win since August.

It has been a steady rise all season long from the Southern California native. Nakashima was as low as 134 in the rankings in January, but since has climbed nearly 100 points with initial success on the challenger circuit eventually translating to the ATP Tour, where he has earned eight Top 20 wins and 27 wins in total.



Nakashima battled a knee injury in 2023 and went winless in the Slams as his ranking plummeted. Now working with former World No.42 Davide Sanguinetti, Nakashima is blooming with confidence. 

With his win he is up to No.35 in the live rankings, which matches his career high. 

He will face Karen Khachanov, who beat Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth-Wild 6-2, 6-4, in the second round at Vienna.

“He’s definitely a high-level player, and to be able to play well against him consistently gives me a lot of confidence,” he said.

Zverev and Musetti Reach Quarterfinals

Top seed Alexander Zverev defeated Marcos Giron, 6-2, 7-5, while Lorenzo Musetti gained a walkover from Gael Monfils. The pair will meet in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Thomas Machac (d. Fabian Marozsan 7-6, 6-1) and Grigor Dimitrov (d. Zhang Zhizhen 6-4, 7-5) also advanced on Wednesday in the Austrian capital.