First-round action at the ATP 250 in Stockholm wraps up on Wednesday with a showdown between Brandon Nakashima and Stan Wawrinka. The second round is getting underway, too, as Casper Ruud faces Lorenzo Sonego.
(WC) Stan Wawrinka vs. (6) Brandon Nakashima
With Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet having announced their upcoming retirements, Wawrinka could be next. For now, though, the 39-year-old is still toiling away at No. 219 in the world. He has won only six main-tour matches in 2024 compared to 14 losses. Wawrinka’s Shanghai Masters performance was, however, somewhat encouraging. He defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a pair of tiebreakers before falling to an in-form Flavio Cobolli 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-3.
Up first for the Swiss at the Nordic Open on Wednesday is a third meeting with Nakashima. Wawrinka has won both of their previous encounters in three sets–first at the 2022 Basel tournament and again last summer in Cincinnati. The good news for Nakashima is that he is a different player in 2024. The 23-year-old American is 26-19 this season and has climbed to 38th in the rankings, leaving him on the brink of being seeded at Grand Slams. Nakashima appears to have hit the wall a bit following a scorching-hot summer, but he should have enough left in the tank to take advantage of a struggling opponent.
Pick: Nakashima in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs. (2) Casper Ruud
Ruud and Sonego will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers on Wednesday. All four of their previous encounters have gone the way of Ruud, who easily won the first two before requiring final sets in each of the last two. They most recently squared off at the 2022 French Open, where the Norwegian survived a 6-2, 6-7(3), 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 thriller.
Sonego should be competitive once again, particularly on an indoor hard court. The essence of an all-court player, the Italian has won his four ATP titles on four different surfaces–indoor hard, outdoor hard, clay, and grass. Ruud is clearly at his best on clay, but he certainly isn’t hopeless indoors. In fact, the current world No. 8 was runner-up at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals. Sonego did well to beat Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-6(1), 7-5 on Monday, but another matchup with his nemesis will probably mark the end of the underdog’s week.
Pick: Ruud in 3
