Nakashima Shines on Debut with Victory Over Medjedovic
Shevchenko clinches victory on his fifth match point; three Australians also progress.
October 14, 2025
KTF.kz
Brandon Nakashima boasts an impressive 11-1 record in his last 12 hard court opening rounds.
By ATP Staff
In a thrilling showdown at the Almaty Open, Brandon Nakashima triumphed against Hamad Medjedovic, emerging victorious with a scoreline of 7-6(5), 6-2 during his opening match.
As the fifth seed, Nakashima’s 83-minute match solidified his score to 31-25 for the current season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Remarkably, the 24-year-old has accumulated more wins this season than any player ranked outside the Top 20, with the exception of Francisco Cerundolo (35).
Rock solid from start to finish 👊
[5] @b_nakashima takes down Medjedovic 7-6(5) 6-2 to mark his Almaty debut in style @AlmatyOpen_KZ | #AlmatyOpen pic.twitter.com/4DdfsuC75N— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 14, 2025
Having previously met at an indoor ATP 250 event, Nakashima and Medjedovic have quickly established a rivalry. Medjedovic took the first match between the two last year in Belgrade, but Nakashima leveled the series with his impressive performance in Almaty.
“It feels excellent! This is my first trip to Kazakhstan and I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” Nakashima expressed. “Winning the first round is always a great feeling. It takes some adjustment to adapt to the conditions, but I arrived early and got in plenty of practice on these courts.”
The World No. 34 showcased a dominant serve, winning 80% of his first-service points (35/44) and converting two out of four break points to set up a second-round clash against Fabian Marozsan in Almaty. With this win, he continues his stellar record of 11-1 in his past 12 opening rounds on hard courts.
In a thrilling home crowd moment, Alexander Shevchenko fought valiantly to convert his fifth match point, defeating Laslo Djere in a nail-biting match with scores of 7-6(1), 7-6(12). Shevchenko saved four set points, including three in the second-set breaker, over two hours.
Now 4-3 in Almaty after reaching the quarter-finals last year, Shevchenko will next face off against eighth seed Corentin Moutet.
Earlier in the tournament, Australians Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, and Adam Walton all progressed through three-set matches. Vukic defeated qualifier Marko Topo 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, while Hijikata, stepping in as a lucky loser, outlasted home favorite Timofey Skatov with a score of 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3. Walton triumphed over countryman Tristan Schoolkate with a close 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-2, setting him up for a match against former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.
