Nakashima defeats Jodar to reach first Masters 1000 final at Montreal's National Bank Open

Brandon Nakashima advanced to his first Masters 1000 final on Wednesday night at Montréal's National Bank Open, outlasting 19-year-old Rafael Jodar in a dominant 7-6 (3), 6-4 semifinal under the lights of IGA Stadium. The win stopped Jodar's meteoric rise to superstardom—one that has vaulted the Spaniard from 168th in the world at the start of the year to the border of the top 10.

Nakashima's near-flawless execution controlled the match from the opening set. He served at 70 per cent and attacked Jodar's second serve effectively to seize control early, never relinquishing it. In the second set, Nakashima broke Jodar at love to start, then saved six break points throughout the remainder of the match to secure the victory.

"This is definitely a top-three moment of my career for sure," Nakashima said, "so just trying to soak it all in." The 25-year-old San Diego native won his first ATP tournament in his hometown in 2022 but has been searching for his best level ever since. After reaching the semifinal in Washington earlier this month and advancing to the final in Montréal, he appears to have found it.

Nakashima will face defending National Bank Open champion Ben Shelton on Thursday in the first all-American final in Montréal since Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras here in 1995. It will also be the first all-American final at a Masters 1000 event since Andy Roddick beat Mardy Fish in Cincinnati in August 2005. Nakashima will undoubtedly be a heavy underdog against Shelton, who dismantled Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 in Wednesday's other semifinal and has a chance to move from 10th to sixth in the world by repeating as champion.

Jodar's run, though halted here, continues to look unstoppable. Starting the year ranked 168th, he broke through with a victory in Marrakesh in April, followed by a semifinal in Barcelona, Masters quarterfinal appearances in Madrid and Rome, and a quarterfinal showing at the French Open. His quarterfinal win over Arthur Fils on Tuesday was his 34th victory on tour this season. His next tournament will present him another chance to become the fastest player of the Open Era to climb from the top 100 to the top 10 since Boris Becker did it in 210 days of the 1985 season.