No. 2 seed and wild-card entrant Ben Shelton will take the court in Washington, D.C. against Ugo Humbert on Thursday. Countryman Brandon Nakashima will also be in second-round action vs. Jakub Mensik.
(2) Ben Shelton vs. Ugo Humbert
Ben Shelton didn’t have it easy in round one at the Mubadala DC Open, needing three sets to get past qualifier Martin Damm 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The American been candid about how up-and-down his season has felt despite already banking three titles. Notably, Shelton lost a heartbreaker in the first round of Wimbledon to world No. 140 Otto Virtanen. For his part, Ugo Humbert sent off Andres Martin in straight sets — but he arrives without much rhythm following a brutal five-set Wimbledon exit to Zizou Bergs. D.C.’s heat and humidity may also be a factor for Humbert, who has retired from three matches over the past year.
These two lefties have met once before — at the Australian Open in January — and Shelton’s straight-sets scoreline undersold how close it got. He took the first set comfortably, but the next two both required tiebreaks, with Shelton firing 15 aces and closing out the biggest points when it counted. With Shelton playing at home as the superior player, I’m expecting a similar outcome on Thursday.
Cheryl pick: Shelton in 2
Ricky pick: Shelton in 2
Brandon Nakashima vs. (7) Jakub Mensik
Brandon Nakashima cruised past Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4 in the opener, playing the clean, low-error tennis that has become his calling card on hard courts this year. Jakub Mensik had to work harder, needing a third set to shake off Trevor Svajda 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3 — in line with a stretch in which he has dropped three of his last five matches.
The history here is worth flagging. Nakashima and Mensik faced each other twice in early 2024, and both went the distance. Mensik prevailed 7-5, 7-5 at the Canberra Challenger and also won days later by a 6-4, 7-6(4) result in Australian Open qualifying. Nakashima has never beaten him, but he has also never been blown off the court by the Czech. Since then, the American has added more shape to his game while working with coach Mariano Puerta — using his serve and forehand with more purpose. Look for Nakashima to get one back, but not without a fight.
Cheryl pick: Nakashima in 3
Cheryl pick: Nakashima in 3
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Lets go Brandon, Brandon in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-3
Great reads. Here in person. Awesome match. Brandon was great!
congratulations to us