Brandon Nakashima battled the elements and tough competition to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal with a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-5 defeat of Arthur Rinderknech at the National Bank Open in Montreal on Saturday.
The American had lost his five previous round of 16 matches at 1000-level events before breaking through this time against his French opponent. A 106-minute inclement weather delay with the match tied 4-4 built the drama even higher. After No. 23 seed Rinderknech won the first game after the delay, 28th-seeded Nakashima won the final three, including the only break of the decisive set at 5-5.
“Coming out after the break, I knew I had to get firing right from the beginning because it’s going to happen pretty quick,” Nakashima said after the match. “In the first game, he hit four big serves. I couldn’t do anything there. But I just tried to stay focused and when I had the opportunities, I just tried to go for it.
“I think the level is continuing to grow with each match. Every day it is a new opportunity out here. So (I’m trying) to make the most of it. Super, super happy that it’s all paying off.”
Nakashima, who ranks 31st in the ATP rankings, won just 20% of his first-return points but redeemed himself by winning 57% of his second-return points.
He’ll face Italian No. 19 seed Luciano Darderi, who rallied past Portugal’s Nuno Borges for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory, for a spot in the semifinals. Darderi broke Borges at 5-5 in the final set and then saved a break point — one of five he saved in seven chances — before serving out the match to finish off the victory.
Spanish teenage sensation Rafael Jodar continued his remarkable run of recent play with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Czech No. 8 seed Jiri Lehecka.
The 19-year-old No. 20 seed advanced to his seventh quarterfinal in eight tournaments he’s played in since the start of April by converting 4 of 7 break-point chances on Lehecka’s serve. Lehecka delivered a sloppy performance, pairing 11 winners with 34 unforced errors.
No. 18 seed Arthur Fils of France took down Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-6 (8) in the day’s final match, advancing to face Jodar for a spot in the semifinals. Norrie saved three match points in the second set to force a tiebreak, then saved another in the tiebreak before Fils broke his serve to clinch the victory.
–Field Level Media
