Nakashima edges Jodar 7-6 6-4 to reach Montreal final

Brandon Nakashima came through a tight straight-setter in the Montreal semifinals, taking the opening set in a tiebreak before closing out Rafael Jodar 7-6, 6-4. The American's serve never wobbled: six aces, no double faults, 81.2% of first-serve points won and a healthy 62.1% behind the second delivery, which left him almost nothing to defend. Jodar, by contrast, landed only 59.4% of first serves, won 51.3% behind the second and coughed up five double faults, margins that decided both sets. The result carried Nakashima into the final on hard courts, the surface that best suits his flat, low-error baseline game.