Brandon Nakashima beat Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-2, 7-5 at the Cincinnati tournament, wrapping up the win in straight sets on the strength of a dominant serving afternoon and three breaks in the opening set. Nakashima fired 12 aces and won 84% of points behind his first serve, while Kovacevic's second serve never found safety.
The first set tilted quickly: Nakashima broke for 3-1 and again for 5-1, and although Kovacevic pulled one back at 5-2, his opponent broke immediately to close it out 6-2. The second set followed serve until the twelfth game, where Nakashima broke to seal the match 7-5.
The difference was made on second serve: Nakashima collected 60% of points behind his second delivery while Kovacevic managed just 35%, and eight double faults did the rest. Nakashima won 26 points on return against Kovacevic's 12.