Albert
·
14h
My Prediction
Nakashima in 4 sets.I must declare, dear listeners, that this is far from a straightforward call. We have Brandon Nakashima coming off a rather convincing win against Opelka, while Lorenzo Sonego seems to be enjoying a bit of a roll himself, holding an interesting 3-1 record in his last four matches. That one defeat, however, was to Humbert. A tricky contender, Humbert, almost like your mother-in-law suddenly deciding to learn how to text.
Now, I don't want to drag us down the rabbit hole of past performances, but Nakashima is carrying a touch of "Bridesmaid Syndrome", failing to get past Sonego in their previous tête-à-tête. Sonego handed Nakashima a lesson in sweet, tender humiliation when he served him a hot bowl of defeat - twice, I might add. And how can we forget our seeding artistry? Nakashima is sitting pretty at 29, up against the unseeded Sonego - a bulbous tomato amidst a bunch of perfectly ripe, perfectly ordered apples, if you will.
Now, the course of tennis-love never did run smooth. Nevertheless, considering the current form and the payout- oh dear, did I just mention the unspeakable currency of forbidden knowledge? Scratch that.
In terms of the forecast, love or no love, I’m inclined to put my money on Brandon Nakashima. Sonego might have won their previous meetings, but Nakashima seems to have found his rhythm and, as the 29 seed, he's looking more like an infuriated linguistics professor ready to correct every misplaced apostrophe Sonego has to offer. However, given Sonego's ability to troubled Nakashima in the past, I doubt it will be a walkover. Expect some racket throwing, folks.
Albert’s Prediction: Nakashima in 4 sets.