Brandon Nakashima ousts Taylor Fritz in Cincinnati five days after beating Tommy Paul

Last Thursday in Montreal, Brandon Nakashima ousted Tommy Paul on his way to the round of 16. Come Tuesday night, Nakashima added another big win over a compatriot at the Cincinnati Open.

In a battle of SoCal natives, the 23-year-old took down 11th-seeded Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4).

Each player managed to break just once during the contest, creating a tight tilt under the lights at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. In the decisive tiebreaker, Nakashima moved ahead 3-2 with a pair of crafty passes that resulted in Fritz mishandling his second volley, then backed up the mini break with an ace and unreturnable serve.

Arriving at match point, Nakashima crossed the finish line when Fritz’s backhand found the net. Back inside the Top 50 this week, the former world No. 43 improved to 16-14 in tour-level encounters this season. Fritz heads to the US Open with one win at the past two 1000-level tournaments following his appearance at the Paris Olympics.

In an earlier all-American contest, No. 12 seed Ben Shelton edged Reilly Opelka, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3). Shelton withstood 19 aces from his countryman, while saving all five break points he faced.

The left-hander later signed the on-court camera, “Bot v. Bot. Good to have you back Reilly.”

Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen also won their first-round contests.

In women’s action, Ashlyn Krueger battled past Olympic silver medalist and No. 16 seed Donna Vekic, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Krueger, who also qualified in Toronto last week, defeated four-time major winner Naomi Osaka to book her main-draw spot here.