It will be an all-American final at the National Bank Open in Montreal, as Brandon Nakashima swept Spain’s Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-4 on Wednesday to secure a spot in the championship match.
In the title match on Thursday, Nakashima, the 28th seed, will face either fifth-seeded Ben Shelton or 13th-seeded Learner Tien, who squared off later Wednesday night.
In reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final, Nakashima topped Jodar by winning 81% of his first-serve points. A lengthy final game punctuated things, with Nakashima saving four break points and finally converting his third match point in that game and his fifth overall.
“It was crazy, the last few games were super tight,” Nakashima said. “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.”
In the first-ever meeting between Nakashima, 25, and Jodar, 19, the American recorded 28 winners and six aces. Jodar had 21 winners and four aces.
Nakashima is up to No. 22 in the live rankings and will jump to a career best ranking later this week regardless of the Thursday result.
Jodar has risen from No. 165 up to No. 11 over the course of the 2026 season, culminating in a strong run this week, as he dispatched 11th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, eighth-seeded Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic and 18th-seeded Arthur Fils of France to reach the semis.
Both players were in their first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal match.
“It is a great feeling,” Nakashima said. “It is a great time to be part of American tennis, so many guys doing well these days, so happy to be a part of it.”
–Field Level Media
