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Match details
Fixture: Brandon Nakashima vs Soonwoo Kwon
Tournament: Miami Open presented by Itau.
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Date: 23 March, 2022
Venue: Miami, Florida, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,584,055.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot.
Brandon Nakashima vs Soonwoo Kwon preview
World No. 80 and home hope Brandon Nakashima will kickstart his Miami Open campaign with a first-round clash against the 63rd-ranked Soonwoo Kwon on Wednesday.
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The 20-year-old had a breakout season last year, establishing himself as one of the finest young talents to watch out for. He made back-to-back finals in Los Cabos and Atlanta, along with a run to the quarterfinals in Antwerp.
Nakashima also collected a couple of ATP Challenger titles before making the semifinals at the NextGen ATP Finals.
However, the turn of the year hasn't proven to be kind to him so far. Other than making the quarterfinals in Sydney, the American youngster hasn't done anything noteworthy in 2022. Nakashima has a disappointing 3-6 win-loss record in the rest of the six events he has played this season.
He will be entering the Miami Open on the back of a two-match losing streak and will be itching to get back some of his lost confidence.
Soonwoo Kwon, too, had a fantastic 2021 season that saw him win his maiden ATP title at Nur-Sultan. The Korean also made the semifinals in Eastbourne, the quarterfinals in Marbella and Singapore, apart from winning the Biella 2 Challenger.
Much like Nakashima, Kwon has failed to carry that momentum into the new season as well. He has a 9-8 win-loss record for the year, having failed to reach the quarterfinals in eight tour-level events so far.
Brandon Nakashima vs Soonwoo Kwon head-to-head
Nakashima and Kwon haven't squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Brandon Nakashima vs Soonwoo Kwon prediction
This will be a battle between the two players, each of whom will be eager to rediscover their lost touch. Whoever is able to show more hunger and determination should come through.
Nakashima has unfortunately gone off the boil after a remarkable 2021. He does have the game to hurt a lot of top players, as was evident last season. Nakashima's double-handed backhand remains his biggest weapon which he uses by stepping in to rip winners on hardcourt. The youngster is also endowed with excellent speed and footwork, although he doesn't possess the biggest of serves.
However, the spark and self-belief that he showed last year have somehow gone missing for some time.
Kwon, on the other hand, has been steadier of the two, although he has struggled this season as well. His five-set loss to Denis Shapovalov at the Australian Open and his three-set defeat against Andrey Rublev in Dubai proved that. A solid baseliner, the Korean has attacking strokes on both wings and has a better serve than Nakashima, which could be crucial in determining the result of the match.
If he can remain composed under pressure and attack the Nakashima serve relentlessly, he could have a chance of knocking out the home hope.
Prediction: Soonwoo Kwon to win in three sets.
