Sydney Tennis Classic 2022: Reilly Opelka vs Brandon Nakashima preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Reilly Opelka vs Brandon Nakashima

Date: January 13, 2022

Tournament: Sydney Tennis Classic 2022

Round: Quarterfinal

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Outdoor Hard

Prize Money: $521,000

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime

Reilly Opelka vs Brandon Nakashima preview

Opelka at the 2021 Laver Cup.

Fourth seed Reilly Opelka will take on Brandon Nakashima in an all-American quarterfinal clash at the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic on Thursday.

After an opening-round bye, Opelka made quick work of Australian wildcard Jordan Thompson in the second round, winning 6-3. 6-2.

Opelka suffered a shock first-round loss to Maxime Cressy in last week's Melbourne Summer Set, but with a win under his belt in Sydney, the American will hope to gain some momentum ahead of the Australian Open.

Brandon Nakashima at the 2021 Atlanta Open.

Brandon Nakashima, meanwhile, has made a strong start to the 2022 season. He defeated Jiri Vesely in two tie-breaks in the first round and backed it up with a straight-sets win against seventh seed Fabio Fognini to reach the quarterfinals in Sydney.

Nakashima is steadily making his way up the rankings. The American reached the first final of his career at the Los Cabos Open last July. He followed it up with another runner-up finish at the Atlanta Open and peaked at No. 62 in the rankings. The 20-year-old will be eager to build on those results this season.

Reilly Opelka vs Brandon Nakashima head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between Reilly Opelka and Brandon Nakashima, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Reilly Opelka vs Brandon Nakashima prediction

Opelka at the 2021 US Open.

Reilly Opelka's game is centered around his monstrous serve, which drags him through matches more often than not. But the tall American has improved other parts of his game as well. He has a powerful forehand that can deal plenty of damage and is also comfortable moving forward.

Nakashima is equipped with a fairly decent serve, but his strength is undoubtedly his return, which will play an important role against someone like Opelka. The 20-year-old is also steady from the baseline and will look to move Opelka around the court, preventing the lanky American from getting into a rhythm.

But considering the firepower Opelka has at his disposal, he should be able to quell the youngster's challenge.

Prediction: Reilly Opelka to win in three sets.