Atlanta Open 2022: Brandon Nakashima vs. Jordan Thompson Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Atlanta Open as Brandon Nakashima takes on Jordan Thompson in the first round on Monday, July 25th, 2022.

Home favorite Brandon Nakashima will look for a similar sort of impact he made at the Atlanta Open last season. But he faces a huge task to reach the final again and he opens up against the often tricky Jordan Thompson.

Brandon Nakashima had a dream week in the last edition of the Atlanta Open. He reached his second ATP final and was slightly unfortunate to run into the most decorated player at the event in John Isner. Nakashima will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent at home tournaments, starting this week as the build up to the last Grand Slam of the season is up and running. Nakashima recently reached the second week of a Major for the first time at Wimbledon, losing to eventual finalist Nick Kyrgios in five sets in the fourth round.

Jordan Thompson, meanwhile, will be looking to post another major scalp on US soil, having already defeated Brandon Nakashima at the ATP tournament in Dallas earlier during the season. Thompson’s biggest drawback is his inconsistencywhich has seen him notch just four wins from 10 matches on outdoor hard courts. But he did put together a fine grass court swing in the last month. He won the Surbiton Challenger against all the odds in the final against Denis Kudla and finished runner-up in Nottingham. He returns to hard courts for the first time since a second-round defeat to compatriot Alex De Minaur at the Miami Open.

Brandon Nakashima leads Jordan Thompson 2-1 in their head-to-head. He defeated the Aussie in both meetings last season ncluding their quarterfinal showdown at the Atlanta Open. Thompson earned a shot at redemption in Dallas this year, beating Nakashima in straight sets. This should be another intriguing battle, but on the back of his career-best season, it is probably safe to side with the higher-ranked Nakashima.