TennisSection previews the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals as Carlos Alcaraz takes on Brandon Nakashima in the Round Robin Stage on Wednesday, November 10th, 2021.
Will Carlos Alcaraz produce another performance of elite quality at the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals? Or will Brandon Nakashima put the brakes on this unstoppable powerful teenager? These two players have never played each other before this. But given how both have fared this year, we are in for treat.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Next Gen ATP Finals campaign got off to a fantastic start on Tuesday in Milan. The 18-year-old beat fellow teenager Holger Rune 4-3 4-2 4-0 in just 75 minutes. The first set was highly competitive with both players engaged in thrilling rallies. After Rune snuffed away three set points to hold for 3-3, Alcaraz showed his steely side. The top seed nudged ahead in the tiebreak, enough to establish a cushion. He converted on his sixth set point. From that moment on, Rune showed very little resistance. And it wasn’t a case of the Dane’s level dropping, but more of Alcaraz shifting through the gears and going into overdrive. Overall, Alcaraz dropped just four points behind his first serve and did not face a single breakpoint in the entire match. He will now face American Brandon Nakashima.
It wasn’t just Carlos Alcaraz who hit the ball with deft and accuracy on Tuesday at the Next Gen ATP Finals. But his soon-to-be opponent Brandon Nakashima played out of his skin to defeat Juan Manuel Cerundolo in four sets. The American who is in a long line of ATP’s newest breakout stars of 2021 proved why surface preference can be pivotal in the outcome of a tennis match. And coupled with that, he had arrived in Milan with a new wave of confidence having won nine of his past 10 matches in October. In that span he had captured his second ATP Challenger title of the season in Brest. It was ideal preparation for his opening match against the young Argentine Cerundolo who has a penchant for clay. Nakashima barely looked in trouble despite dropping a set in a 4-1 3-4 4-1 4-0.
Carlos Alcaraz and Brandon Nakashima have not played each other at any level before. Wednesday’s match will be their first official meeting, and possibly the first of many. Neither of these two players was deemed ready for the rigors of tour level tennis at the start of the year. But not anymore. They have both done some fine work to state their cases as top-tier competitors. Pound for pound Nakashima can match Alcaraz’s power and aggression, but the big question is whether he can remain consistent enough for over three sets. I think not.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz in 4 Sets.
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