Cincinnati R1 previews and predictions: Fritz vs. Nakashima, Shelton vs. Opelka

The home crowd will be treated to a couple of all-American showdowns during first-round action at the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday. Taylor Fritz is facing Brandon Nakashima, while Ben Shelton battles Reilly Opelka.

(11) Taylor Fritz vs. (WC) Brandon Nakashima

Fritz and Nakashima will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday. Both of their previous meetings have gone Fritz’s way; 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 at Wimbledon in 2021 and 6-3, 6-4 at the Covid-delayed Indian Wells Masters later that year.

It has been a busy summer for Fritz, who captured a third Eastbourne title, made a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and won the Paris Olympics bronze medal in men’s doubles with Tommy Paul. Fatigue may have been a factor in a Montreal second-round loss to an in-form Sebastian Korda, but that should have the world No. 12 ready to go for Cincinnati. Nakashima is coming off a third-round performance as a qualifier in Montreal, where he dismissed Denis Shapovalov and Tommy Paul before succumbing to eventual runner-up Andrey Rublev. The 49th-ranked wild card has been inconsistent this summer and his past history against Fritz also doesn’t inspire much confidence.

Pick: Fritz in 2

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(12) Ben Shelton vs. (WC) Reilly Opelka

Another all-American affair features Shelton and Opelka. It’s no surprise that they have never gone head-to-head, as Opelka has mostly been absent from the tour ever since Shelton broke onto the scene. The 21-year-old has soared to No. 14 in the rankings, although his 2024 campaign has been up and down. Positive recent results include a fourth-round effort at Wimbledon and a semifinal showing in Washington, D.C.

Opelka missed basically two full years from August of 2022 until this summer because of various physical problems. The 26-year-old’s comeback has been encouraging, with a trip to the semifinals in Newport and first-round victories in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Understandably, though, the consistency isn’t there yet. Opelka won a mere two games against Alex Michelsen in the Newport semis and he wasn’t particularly competitive in a D.C. second-round loss to Jordan Thompson. Shelton has much more match toughness at the moment, which will likely be decisive in a big-serving contest likely to be decided by small margins.

Pick: Shelton in 2

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