STARNBERG, November 23, 2020
US-American teenager Brandon Nakashima defeated No. 4 seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India, 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s final to claim the singles title at the $52,080 Orlando Open presented by Nemours.
The victory marked the 19-year-old’s first ATP Challenger Tour title and third professional title overall. He becomes the youngest player to win ATP Challenger title since fellow US-American Frances Tiafoe won in Sarasota, Florida, in 2017.
Nakashima saved all eight break points he faced and broke Gunneswaran’s serve two times to prevail after one hour and 18 minutes.
Your champion in Orlando… Brandon Nakashima 💪🙌 pic.twitter.com/xYeaKRUl3U
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 22, 2020
The San Diego native continues his impressive 2020 campaign, which included making his Grand Slam debut at the US Open, where he advanced to the second round before falling in five sets to eventual-finalist Alexander Zverev. By lifting his maiden Challenger trophy, Nakashima pocketed $7,200 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points.
For Gunneswaran, this is his second consecutive runner-up finish after reaching the final of last week’s Atlantic Tire Championships in Cary, North Carolina. He earned $4,240 in prize money as well as 48 ATP Ranking points.
The Orlando Open presented by Nemours concludes the USTA Pro Circuit’s abbreviated fall swing, which saw the successful completion of seven events.
