Nakashima beats Fognini and meets Rublev in San Diego

Young American promise Brandon Nakashima came back after losing by one set and after a break in the third won last night Italian Fabio Fognini 6-7 (5), 6-1 and 7-5 in the first round of the San Diego Open of the ATP circuit.

Nakashima, 20, who is ranked No. 83, the highest of his career, and received a wild-card entry, was born in San Diego. and still resides in his hometown.

The tournament is played on a hard court and was created this year to help fill a gap in the ATP calendar. after the cancellation of the open circuit in Asia due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Also on Monday, Australian Open semi-finalist Russian Aslan Karatsev defeated Federico Delbonis 6-1 and 7-5, extending the Argentine's losing streak on the hard court to 10 games.

While the American Taylor Fritz defeated the Italian Salvatore Caruso 6-4, 7-6 (2), the eleventh consecutive defeat at the circuit level for the European tennis player on all surfaces.

After giving up his serve for the only time in the entire match at the beginning of the third set with a partial 0-2, Nakashima won three games in a row thanks to a more aggressive style, with raises to the net when he needed the “break.”

Although he was helped by a Shaky serve from Fognini, 34, a former Top 10 player now ranked 31st who committed 11 double faults.

Nakashima, who beat compatriot John Isner in the first round of the US Open last month, he had a total of 14 break points on Monday, converting five. He had a couple of match points at 5-4 in the third, but failed to materialize them.

Nevertheless, Nakashima made his third chance count, breaking to end things when Fognini put a forehand into the net.

Nakashima's next opponent will be Russia's No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev, who helped the Europe team win the Laver Cup. over the past weekend and was given a first-round break in San Diego.

Fritz, 23, like Nakashima, a Californian, will face the fourth seed, Canadian Denis Shapovalov, a Wimbledon semi-finalist this year, in the second round.

Argentine Diego Schwartzman, sixth seed, the only Latin American player left in the main draw, will face Italian Federico Gaio on Tuesday, who entered the tournament through the qualifying phase.