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Match Details
Fixture: (15) Andy Murray vs Brandon Nakashima
Date: August 2, 2023
Tournament: Citi Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Washington D.C., United States
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $2,013,940
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN
Andy Murray vs Brandon Nakashima preview
Following a first-round bye, three-time Major champion Andy Murray will take on Brandon Nakashima in the second round of the 2023 Citi Open on Wednesday.
Murray scored two consecutive five-set victories at the Australian Open to reach the third round, where he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut. He then made it to the final of the Qatar Open, defeating players like Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Sonego. The Brit lost to Daniil Medvedev in the championship round.
Murray's campaign at the Indian Wells Masters concluded in the third round and he failed to get past the opening hurdle at the Miami Open. After back-to-back first-round exits in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, the former World No. 1 decided to skip the French Open.
Murray won two Challenger events in a row to commence the grass swing on a strong note. However, upon his return to the main tour, he lost to Alex de Minaur in the first round at Queen's Club. The Brit reached the second round at Wimbledon, where he pushed Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets, but came up short.
Nakashima, meanwhile, faced last week's Atlanta Open runner-up Aleksandar Vukic in the first round here. Both sets were decided by a tie-break, which went the American's way as he came out on top to win the match 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9).
Andy Murray vs Brandon Nakashima head-to-head
The two have not crossed paths on the ATP tour prior to this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0. However, they did face off on the Challenger circuit once in 2022, with Murray winning that encounter in straight sets.
Andy Murray vs Brandon Nakashima odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andy Murray vs Brandon Nakashima prediction
Nakashima did well to get past an in-form Vukic in the first round. He hit eight aces and won 72% of first serve points. The American also struck 20 winners against seven unforced errors.
Nakashima made considerable progess last season as he claimed his maiden ATP title and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. However, he appears to have hit a roadblock this year, with his ranking being on a downward spiral due to his poor results.
Nakashima has won consecutive matches just once this season. Murray has been rather inconsistent as well, but has performed a tad bit better than his younger opponent. The Brit's resilience has been him emerge victorious thrice after saving match points this year.
Despite his up-and-down season, Murray's game has managed to keep him in contention against plenty of opponents. Nakashima has the potential to put up a fight, but the Brit should be able to make it through to the next round in the end.
Pick: Andy Murray to win in three sets.
