In a battle of 21-year-olds in Milan, the American saved five set points to avoid falling behind by two sets before winning 2-4, 4-3(7), 4-3(4), 3-4(4), 4-2.
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Brandon Nakashima won his first match in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals on Tuesday after surviving a five-set thriller against Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi. In a battle of 21-year-olds in Milan, the American saved five set points to avoid falling behind by two sets before winning 2-4, 4-3(7), 4-3(4), 3-4(4), 4-2. In a back-and-forth battle in the Green Group, Nakashima surrendered a 3-1 lead in the fourth set but rallied to win the fifth, completing the victory in two hours and ten minutes.
“It kind of took me a little while to get used to the new format, the new conditions out here,” Nakashima said post-match. “Right from the beginning it was a lot of critical points, the sets were going by fast, so I just tried to adapt as quick as possible. The tie-breaks, I was kind of lucky to squeeze them out and today I think it was just all about finding a way out here. He’s a super tough opponent, he was playing really well, and it was just some critical points in the end that helped me get over the line.”
Nakashima, a semi-finalist at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals last year, will compete alongside Lorenzo Musetti to become the first player to win the Milan title in his second appearance. After winning his first ATP Tour title in his hometown of San Diego last month, the American rose to No. 43 in the ATP Rankings. In Milan, it was Arnaldi, a Sanremo native, who had the home advantage.
“It was tough,” Nakashima said of facing an opponent backed by the Italian crowd. “Either way, whoever the crowd’s cheering for, it’s always fun to play in front of them. The Italian fans, they get very electric during these events. I’m happy to be back here and play in front of them. It’s super exciting.”
While Arnaldi was the last man on the field for Milan, the Italian proved his worth with an aggressive performance against Nakashima. There were plenty of highlights from the classy Italian, especially early on as he made a strong start in search of his first tour-level victory. Arnaldi’s only previous tour-level match came earlier this season in Rome, where he reached a career-high of No. 138 in the ATP Rankings.
Nakashima and Arnaldi both played aggressive tennis for the Milan crowd, combining for 69 winners (Arnaldi 36, Nakashima 33). Overall, only two points separated the competitors, with Nakashima winning with 98 to Arnaldi’s 96. The victory moves the American to second place in the Green Group, while Arnaldi drops to third after the narrow defeat. On Wednesday, Nakashima will face group leader Jiri Lehecka, while Arnaldi will face fellow Italian Francesco Passaro.
