Nakashima Downs Fritz in Cincinnati Thriller

Brandon Nakashima continued his impressive run at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday night, defeating fellow American Taylor Fritz in a thrilling three-set battle. The 23-year-old Nakashima, who ousted Tommy Paul in the round of 16, prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4) over the 11th-seeded Fritz.

The match was a tight affair, with each player breaking serve just once. Nakashima seized the initiative in the decisive tiebreaker, moving ahead 3-2 with a pair of crafty passes that forced Fritz into errors. The former world No. 43 then backed up the mini break with an ace and an unreturnable serve.

Nakashima sealed the victory when Fritz's backhand found the net, improving his record to 16-14 in tour-level encounters this season. Fritz, who is heading to the US Open with one win at the past two 1000-level tournaments, will be looking to regain his form before the final Grand Slam of the year.

In other first-round action, No. 12 seed Ben Shelton edged Reilly Opelka in a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3). Shelton withstood 19 aces from his compatriot and saved all five break points he faced.

Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen also advanced to the second round with victories in their respective matches.

On the women's side, Ashlyn Krueger pulled off an upset by defeating Olympic silver medalist and No. 16 seed Donna Vekic, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Krueger, who also qualified in Toronto last week, had previously defeated four-time major winner Naomi Osaka to book her main-draw spot in Cincinnati.

Tags: #CincinnatiOpen, #BrandonNakashima, #TaylorFritz, #AmericanTennis, #TennisRivalry