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Match Details
Fixture: (4) Brandon Nakashima vs (5) Jiri Lehecka.
Date: November 12, 2022.
Tournament: Next Gen ATP Finals 2022.
Round: Final.
Venue: Allianz Cloud Arena, Milan, Italy.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $1,400,000.
Match timing: 9 pm local time, 8 pm GMT, 3 pm ET and 1:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Brandon Nakashima vs Jiri Lehecka preview
Brandon Nakashima and Jiri Lehecka will face off in the championship round of the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals on Saturday.
Nakashima went undefeated during the group stage, scoring wins over Lehecka, Matteo Arnaldi and Francesco Passaro to make the last four. The American was up against Jack Draper in the semifinals.
Nakashima held a couple of break points early on in the first set and even held a set point towards the end, but Draper dug deep on both occasions for a hold of serve. Nevertheless, the American managed to capture the set in the ensuing tie-break.
Draper snagged a break of serve at the start of the second set as he went on to clinch it to level the proceedings. The two were solid on serve for the better part of the third set, but Nakashima managed to break the Brit's serve in the last game of the set to claim it.
Draper held a set point in the fourth set to push the match into a decider, but Nakashima held serve to force a tie-break instead. The American trailed 5-2 but reeled off five straight points to win the match 4-3 (6), 1-4, 4-2, 4-3 (5).
Lehecka lost to Nakashima in the group stage but defeated Passaro and Arnaldi to reach the semifinals, where Dominic Stricker awaited him. The Czech drew first blood in the opening set to go up a break and then promptly served out the set to clinch it.
The second set was decided by a tie-break, with Lehecka gaining the upper hand to take it and put himself in a commanding position with a two-set lead. Stricker broke his opponent's serve to start the third set and didn't squander the lead as he went on to win the set.
But it wasn't the beginning of an epic comeback as Lehecka regrouped quickly to claim the fourth set and win the match 4-1, 4-3 (4), 2-4, 4-1.
Brandon Nakashima vs Jiri Lehecka head-to-head
Nakashima leads Lehecka 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter just a few days ago, defeating the Czech in straight sets during their group stage match.
Brandon Nakashima vs Jiri Lehecka odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Brandon Nakashima vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Aside from a stumble in the second set, Nakashima played fairly well against Draper in the semifinals. His serve was quite effective and at one point he even won 19 straight points on serve. The American ended the match with 30 winners and 17 unforced errors.
Lehecka was quite solid during his win over Stricker in the previous round. Aided by accurate serving, bit hitting, and skillful net play, he displayed his brilliance throughout the match. He struck 24 winners while committing just seven unforced errors.
The fast-paced format of the tournament means there's no room for error. The sets are first to four games each rather than the usual six, with a tie-break happening at 3-3. Nakashima won their group stage encounter quite easily, but Lehecka appears to have upped his game in a matter of days. But the American is a more experienced player here, which is likely to help him clinch the title.
Pick: Brandon Nakashima to win in four sets.
