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A San Diegan who enjoyed a breakthrough at Wimbledon this summer is among the final eight competitors at the 2022 San Diego Open ATP 250 at Barnes Tennis Center.
Fifth-seed Brandon Nakashima, 21, of Carmel Valley – who made it to the Round-of-16 at Wimbledon and the third-round at the US Open – moved on Thursday thanks to a 6-3, 6-4 win over fellow American Denis Kudla.
He had dispatched another local, La Jolla’s Zachary Svajda, in a 7-5, 7-6 (5) win the day before.
The former University of Virginia standout was especially sharp serving, landing 74% of his first serves, including 12 aces, and winning 80% of those points. He pronounced himself “very happy” with his performance.
“I definitely served well,” Nakashima said. “That helped my return games a lot, helped me maybe play a little more freely off the baseline and try to convert all the break points I could out there.”
Nakashima earned a rematch with Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan, whom he defeated in the third round at Wimbledon, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1. They play Friday evening at the Barnes center, near Ocean Beach
In other action, top seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain won Thursday, 6-4, 6-4, over 95th-ranked Taro Daniel of Japan at Barnes Tennis Center.
The 32-year-old Evans now has logged his fourth tour-level quarterfinal of the year. The world No. 25, who was coming off an indoor Davis Cup outing in Glasgow, Scotland, is now headed for a first-time meeting with Frenchman Constant Lestienne.
No. 2 seed Jenson Brooksby of Sacramento engaged in an all-California showdown with Mackenzie McDonald of Piedmont, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory. It marked Brooksby’s second win over the former UCLA Bruin in 2022.
Brooksby moves on to face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell, who is into his second career ATP quarterfinal thanks to an efficient 6-3, 7-5 upset of eighth seed J.J. Wolf of the U.S. The 130th-ranked O’Connell smacked seven of his 12 aces in the 43-minute first set alone, and won 80% of his first-serve points.
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