By Ros Satar
- Andy Murray [15] v Brandon Nakashima
- H2H: Murray leads 1-0 (Challenger level)
WASHINGTON DC – Andy Murray makes his return to the tour after an earlier than expected Wimbledon exit, taking on USA’s Brandon Nakashima in the second round.
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Andy Murray [15] v Brandon Nakashima | H2H: Murray leads 1-0 (Challenger level)
| Andy Murray [15] v Brandon Nakashima | H2H: Murray leads 1-0 (Challenger level) |
| ATP Washington | USA |
| Hard | Prize Money: $14,725 |
| Third on Stadium Court, not before 4pm (9pm BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
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Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Hard 2023)
| H2H: | Andy Murray (WR 44) | Brandon Nakashima (WR 70) |
| Tournament Previous Best | QF (2018) | R16 (2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 63.1 | 68.2 |
| Service Games Won % | 82.6 | 85.2 |
| Break Points Saved % | 62.2 | 59.6 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 50.7 | 44.2 |
| Break Points Converted % | 31.9 | 19.0 |
Andy Murray has a deserved reputation as one of the sharpest returners in the game, as borne out by his return stats but will need to have his serve firing today. His opponent, Brandon Nakashima will have the crowd on his side, and like a lot of the modern American players, builds his game around a solid serve.
Preview & Prediction
Murray will be absolutely desperate to gain a seeding at the US Open to give himself the best chance of having a long run in a Slam. He will be up against a home-crowd favourite in Nakashima but the American has been pretty ineffectual on the hard courts this year, with just a smattering back to back wins, but no further, including Atlanta last week.
After a solid start to the year with the third round (and two very bruising five-setters) at the Australian Open, the Doha final and a run to the third round of Indian Wells, most of Murray’s success have come at the Challenger level.
He will be keen to set down a marker here, but should expect to be taken the distance by a player with a solid serve and return game in general, and more importantly has a good match temperament.
Prediction: Murray in three sets.
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