Fourth-seeded Brandon Nakashima delivered 11 aces while beating fifth-seeded Jiri Lehecka 4-3 (5), 4-3 (6), 4-2 to win the Next Gen ATP Finals on Milan, Italy on Saturday.
The 21-year-old Nakashima had 21 aces and four unforced errors while sweeping Lehecka of the Czech Republic.
The San Diego native is the first American to win the 21-and-under event.
“I am super happy right now,” Nakashima said. “It was a great tournament, this whole week. This final was another tough match. Just a few points that could have gone either way. I am happy with my level today. It is a good way to finish off the year.
Nakashima reached the semifinals of the event last season but didn’t lose a single match. He went 5-0 and beat Lehecka twice, the first time in the Group Stage.
The event’s unique format featured no-ad scoring and sets to four games, with tiebreakers at 3-3.
Lehecka had 27 winners and 17 unforced errors.
–Field Level Media