Firenze Open 2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Brandon Nakashima preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Brandon Nakashima
Date: October 14, 2022.
Tournament: Firenze Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinals.
Venue: Firenze, Italy.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $612,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Brandon Nakashima preview
Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will face eighth seed Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals of the Firenze Open on Friday.
Auger-Aliassime has produced some good performances so far this season, winning his first career singles title at the Rotterdam Open by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and four Masters 1000 tournaments.
Auger-Aliassime faced Oscar Otte in the second round of the Firenze Open. The Canadian broke the German in the fifth game of the opening set before saving three break points in the eighth. He eventually pocketed the set 6-4 to take the lead.
The second set was tightly fought and Otte won it via a tie-break to force the match into a decider. Auger-Aliassime dominated the third set and won it 6-2 to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Nakashima's most notable performance this season was winning the San Diego Open, which was his first singles title. He also reached the fourth round of Wimbledon before losing to Nick Kyrgios in five sets.
The American faced Richard Gasquet in the first round of the Firenze Open. Both players were strong in their service games during the first half of the opening set until Nakashima made the first break in the sixth game. The American broke again to take the opening set 6-2.
Nakashima cruised through the second set as well to win the match and set up a meeting with Turkey's Altug Celikbelik in the Round of 16. He secured the decisive break of serve in the fourth game of the opening set before winning it 6-3.
Celikbelik made an early break in the second set but Nakashima broke him back and eventually went on to win it 6-4 to seal his place in the quarterfinals of the Firenze Open.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Brandon Nakashima head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two players is 0-0 as they haven't locked horns before.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Brandon Nakashima odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Brandon Nakashima prediction
Auger-Aliassime has been up and down this season but he will enter the match as the favorite considering his quality. Nakashima beat his last two opponents comprehensively but beating someone of the Canadian's quality will be a tough task.
Auger-Aliassime served 13 aces in his last match and will look to get as many of them as he can against Nakashima. The Canadian has a solid forehand that can help him dictate play and finish off points. However, he needs to be careful not to hit too many unforced errors.
Nakashima will rely heavily on his service points while looking for the odd decisive break. The American has hit 49 winners so far while accumulating only 14 unforced errors. He will be keen to maintain that ratio against Auger-Aliassime while also looking to force him to make unforced errors.
If the Canadian is at his best, he should be able to come out on top and reach the semifinals.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime to win in straight sets.