A massive opportunity awaits Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima in a depleted National Bank Open draw. In a wide-open section of the bracket, either Darderi or Nakashima will clinch a semifinal spot at this Masters 1000 tournament on Monday.
This marks their third meeting, and it is the rubber match after they split their two previous encounters. Darderi got the job done 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-2 on the red clay of Hamburg last spring before Nakashima cruised 6-2, 7-5 on the indoor hard courts of Vienna at the end of the year.
Those results are no surprise given the respective surfaces, and the trend should continue on the hard courts of Montreal — where Nakashima has a sizable advantage. The 31st-ranked American has always been at his best on this surface and specifically during this time of year. More of the same has continued this summer, as Nakashima reached the Washington, D.C, semis (lost to eventual champion Taylor Fritz in three sets) and has advanced this fortnight with victories over Daniel Altmaier, Titouan Droguet, and Arthur Rinderknech.
Darderi won’t be helped by the fact that his workload has been significant since Wimbledon. The 22nd-ranked Argentine played seven clay-court matches last month, retired from his first match in Los Cabos, and is coming off back-to-back three-set battles against Jerry Shang and Nuno Borges.
In conditions that are faster than Darderi would like, Nakashima should have a significant edge.
Pick: Nakashima in 2
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Nakashima in 2, 6-3, 7-5.
postponed until Tuesday