A Nakashima in a state of grace halts Jódar's dream in Montreal

Andrés Tomás Rico - 13 Aug 2026 | 02:18
ATP Rafael Jódar Brandon Nakashima ATP Montreal 2026

The American was steady, especially with his serve, throughout the match and showcased his skills against the Spaniard, who appeared erratic, to reach his first Masters 1000 final.

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A Nakashima in a state of grace halts Jódar's dream in Montreal. Photo: Getty Images

A true whirlwind, an impenetrable rock, a bomber without response. All of this was Brandon Nakashima in his victory against Rafa Jódar. The Spaniard arrived as the favorite, but the American gave a true lesson with his serve (he only lost four points on his serve in the first set) and disarmed the player from Leganés (7-6(3), 6-4), who could never show his best version. In this way, the 25-year-old advances to his first final of a Masters 1000 in Montreal, where he awaits Ben Shelton or Learner Tien.

With the constant threat of rain, the wind and the nerves of reaching his first Masters 1000 final were present for both Jódar and Nakashima on the Centre Court of Montreal. It was their first meeting at a moment of maximum tension: the semifinals of a Masters 1000.

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This is how Brandon Nakashima beat Rafa Jódar in the semifinals of the Masters 1000 in Canada

On paper, and considering the performances of both in recent months, Jódar comes in with a slight favoritism, something that the Madrilenian feels, making him somewhat erratic with his shots. He doesn't feel the ball as much, while Nakashima comes out as he has the whole week, plugged in from the first hit. In fact, he has three break points in the first game on return that the Spaniard manages to save with good serves.

He survives the first scare, but the American does not deflate and continues to soar on the Canadian cement. He suffocates Jódar with his serve and does not allow him to take the initiative in exchanges. The superiority at the start is evident, and in the second game on return, he has another three break points, making it six in just 20 minutes. But all of them are saved by the Spaniard, who has come out cold onto the court, but sends a clear message: he is going to sell his skin very dearly.

He saves a game that he practically had lost, but he needs a script change or the first set is in serious danger. He can do nothing against Nakashima’s effective service or his security at the baseline. He looks for solutions but finds none. He suffers but continues to hold his serves. He is not comfortable at all, but the score reflects 3-3.

It seems that Jódar has stopped the bleeding and everything is level. Both show confidence in their serves, and the games progress. In the ninth game, the Spaniard manages to show his teeth on return for the first time and comes within two points of a break that would have been definitive for the first set, but Nakashima, who is no longer dominating as he did at the beginning, maintains his composure and avoids the blow.

The tie-break will be the final judge in the first set and there are no more concessions. Both come out with everything because winning this first set is a huge bite toward getting into the final. But despite rowing and not giving up, a forced error from Jódar gives away a point that Nakashima does not waste to take the first set in which he was superior (7-6(3)).

The Spaniard’s effort without reward heavily affects him in the first game of the second set, as he cedes his serve for the first time and loses it without scoring. Now there is no option: comeback or surrender. But it not only depends on Jódar; he needs Nakashima to loosen up.

However, the American is playing the best tennis of his career in Montreal and is not going to allow any reaction from the Madrilenian. Jódar does not give up and continues fighting, but his fuel tank, after his final in Washington and these semifinals plus Cincinnati in three days, is starting to run low.

The American does not slow down; he accelerates and accelerates with a devastating serve. But if there is one thing that characterizes the Spaniard, it is never giving up on the match. He perseveres and reaps rewards with two break points, the first of the entire match. However, both slip away due to that devilish serve from the American, bringing him even closer to the final.

Thus end the aspirations of Rafa Jódar, who continues fighting for a hypothetical comeback and almost achieves it; he saves four match points and has three break points to make it 5-5, but once again, Brandon Nakashima does not yield with his unflappable serve. He manages, after a lesson with his serve and a constant attack, to reach the final of the Masters 1000 in Canada with 7-6(3), 6-4. It remains to be seen who his rival will be, Ben Shelton or Learner Tien, but if there is one certainty, it is that this is the biggest opportunity of the American's career. And from what has been seen, he knows it perfectly. 
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Un Nakashima en estado de gracia frena el sueño de Jódar en Montreal