We take a look at the two intriguing Hamburg Atlanta Open clashes between Frances Tiafoe vs Brandon Nakashima as well as Jenson Brooksby vs John Isner.
2022 ATP Tour
ATP 250 Series
Atlanta Open
Atlantic Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Quarterfinals- 29th-30th July
29th July
Frances Tiafoe (4) (19/20) vs Brandon Nakashima (8) (82/100)
As I have mentioned many times before, Frances Tiafoe remains one of the most frustrating players on the entire tour. At his best- he can give anyone a game. At his worst- he barely looks like he can get the ball over the net.
There are few players on tour who can rack up an unforced error count as high as Tiafoe. But he does have the intangible ability to run hot for a week (as evidenced by his run to the Estoril Open final earlier this year). He looked impressive during his opening straight-sets victory against Taro Daniel.
Daniel will have felt quite positive following his surprise victory against Seb Korda. But Tiafoe was in colossal form on serve, winning a whopping 87% of his first-serve points. He was also aggressive on return, pouncing on Daniel’s weak 2nd serve at every opportunity.
That is the type of controlled aggression that Tiafoe often struggles to harness. Next up he will take on compatriot and Tiafoe whopping boy Brandon Nakashima.
Brandon Nakashima has enjoyed a steady rise up the ATP rankings over the last 18 months. He appears very comfortable on the hardcourts, reaching finals in Los Cabos and Atlanta last year (he lost last year’s final here to perennial Atlanta conqueror John Isner). Like Tiafoe, Nakashima is fresh off a fairly decent 4th round run at Wimbledon.
He scrapped past the indefatigable Jordan Thompson in his first match before a far more convincing outing against John Millman. He served well against Millman, winning 76% of his first-serve points and serving 10 aces in the process. But he may need to be more adventurous with his 2nd serve against Tiafoe this week.
He’s going to have a long afternoon against the aggressive Tiafoe if he just ‘puts’ his 2nd serve there. But he should feel confident of going deep in a tournament that he clearly enjoys.
Verdict: Tiafoe to win in straight sets at 9/4- Tiafoe has absolutely dominated Nakashima in their head-to-head rivalry.
He has won all three of their ATP Tour meetings. Two of those came in this year’s ‘Sunshine Double’. Their last meeting was actually a pretty tight three-set match in Miami. It seems that Tiafoe’s greater power gives him the edge on these faster surfaces.
He should be able to exploit Nakashima’s more workmanlike 2nd serve. I just think that Tiafoe’s performance against Daniel was quite complete and Nakashima is fairly similar in profile to the Japanese.
30th July
Jenson Brooksby (6) (4/6) vs John Isner (2) (6/5)
21-year-old American Jenson Brooksby is something of a renaissance man in modern tennis. He doesn’t rely on explosive power from the back of the court, rather using deft angles and changes of pace to wrongfoot opponents.
His unorthodox style has been praised by the likes of Andy Murray.
Brooksby started the year well, reaching the Dallas final before impressive 4th round runs at Indian Wells and Miami. But his clay and grass-court seasons were quite deflating (he went 5-8 during that leg of the season). But he seems happy to be back Stateside and playing on hardcourts once again.
He breezed past Benoit Paire in his first match before another decisive victory against fellow countryman Mackenzie McDonald. Looking at his best results: they all seem to have come in the States.
He reached the Newport final last year and the final in Dallas earlier this season. He also reached his maiden ATP 500 semi-final in last year’s Citi Open.
John Isner is the undisputed king of Atlanta. He is the defending champion and most successful player in Atlanta history with six titles.
These courts are fast (even by American hardcourt standards). And this suits Isner’s one-two punch style to the bone. He has played a slightly truncated schedule this year to make more room for his family. His gruelling three-set victory against Blake Shelton took his season win-loss record to 18-14.
He probably isn’t going to be a guy who consistently challenges at Masters 1000 level anymore. But he is still a huge factor in these fringe ATP events held in the States. He lost a clay-court final in Houston earlier this year and he is fresh off a semi-final run in Newport.
Verdict: Brooksby to win at 4/6- This will be the first meeting between these two and it should be fascinating. This is the ultimate contrast in styles. Isner is the definition of your conventional American hardcourt player.
Like Roddick or Sampras, he relies on a huge serve and keeping things simple. Brooksby is more in the vein of a European clay-courter, counterpunching and crafting deliberate points. I think Brooksby has a real chance to usurp Atlanta king Isner.
Isner showed uncharacteristic signs of vulnerability on serve against Cressey. If Brooksby can exploit these moments he should dominate the match’s longer exchanges.
