Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima - US Open Tennis Prediction and Pick 9/1/24

In the win, Zverev finished the match with 12 aces to six double faults. He landed 62% of first serves and won 74% of first-serve points (58/78) and 45% of second-serve points (21/47). Zverev converted eight of 12 break points and finished the contest with 54 winners.

Brandon Nakashima, meanwhile, has broken new ground at the 2024 US Open. He reached the round of 16 in New York for the very first time. After upsetting Holger Rune right out of the gate, he backed up that result by beating Arthur Cazaux.

Then, the American stunned another seed in the third round as he defeated Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti in four sets in a match that lasted three hours and 13 minutes and took 39 games to decide. In the victory, Nakashima hammered 17 aces to one double fault and won 77% of first-serve points (63/82) and 50% of second-serve points (21/42).

Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima Head-To-Head

• Zverev leads Nakashima 2-0, winning both meetings at Grand Slam level. 

Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima Prediction

This will be a rematch of their 2020 meeting at the US Open, with Zverv prevailing in that one in four sets and going on to reach the final. Experience is the German's biggest advantage here, as Nakashima has not played at this stage of a Grand Slam many times in the past.

That said, the American is a cerebral player and plays an immaculate game from the baseline. He was touted as the next big thing just a couple of years ago after winning the Next Gen ATP Finals, only for injuries to derail his momentum. But he's shown in the first week of the 2024 US Open just how much damage he can do when playing with a clean bill of health. This will be banana peel for Zverev, as I expect Nakashima to be up for it.