US Open 2024: Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (15) Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima
Date: August 26, 2024
Tournament: US Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima preview
15th seed Holger Rune will square off against home hope Brandon Nakashima in the first round of the US Open 2024.
Rune started the year with a runner-up finish at the Brisbane International and then crashed out in the second round of the Australian Open. This trend continued for a while as he oscillated between a deep run and an early exit for the remainder of the hardcourt swing.
Rune won a title and reached two finals on clay last year. However, he didn't reach those same highs this year and capped off his initial time on the red dirt with a fourth-round exit from the French Open. He was eliminated in the fourth round of Wimbledon as well.
The Dane returned to compete on clay but was forced to abandon his campaign. He retired during his quarterfinal clash at the Hamburg Open due to an injury and then pulled out of the Paris Olympics as well.
Rune returned to action at the Canadian Open, where he fell to Alexander Zverev in the third round. He reached the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open the following week and blew a couple of match points during his loss to Frances Tiafoe.
Nakashima started his season at the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost in the second round. He then fell at the first hurdle at the Miami Open. A quarterfinal in Houston and a third-round finish in Barcelona were his best results during the clay season.
Nakashima reached his first semifinal of the year in Stuttgart and then made the third round of Wimbledon. He advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open during the summer hardcourt swing.
Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima head-to-head
Nakashima leads Rune 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at last year's Shanghai Masters in straight sets.
Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima prediction
Both players have performed quite well in recent weeks. Nakashima has scored two wins over top-20 players during this time. He beat Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open and followed it up with a win over Taylor Fritz in Cincinnati.
Rune's overall results put him a step above Nakashima. However, the latter defeated the former convincingly the last time they crossed paths. The American dropped only two games en route to a win over the Dane in Shanghai last year.
With the home crowd firmly in his corner, Nakashima is certainly capable of rising to the occasion. Rune could be at risk of an early exit here, though he could manage to sneak past his opponent based on his past results.
Pick: Holger Rune to win in five sets.