OMNIUM BANQUE NATIONALE

August 13, 2026

Brandon Nakashima

Press Conference

B. SHELTON/B. Nakashima

6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the press conference of Brandon Nakashima. First of all, Brandon, I'm sorry the match didn't go your way today, but you must be proud of what you have achieved here in Montreal this year. Could you please briefly share with us?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah. It's been a crazy week for me, one of the best weeks of my career, for sure. So many positives to take away.

So, yeah, overall really happy with everything here in Montreal.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Brandon, I'll get back to your game in a bit. Just wondering where does the Toronto slander come from and how far does your knowledge go on the rivalry between Montreal and Toronto?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Honestly, I didn't know that there was that much of a rivalry. They're probably going to hate me in Toronto next year. (Laughs).

But, no, I mean, overall I really enjoy playing in Canada. It's so close to home in the U.S., and especially here in Montreal the fans are amazing. The people are super friendly, and this tournament is overall really well organized and really welcoming for all the players.

Q. Congratulations on the week. Just curious, you have the best seat in the house. Just talking about Ben's game, when he's playing at his best, what's the challenge and how close is he to those top guys, top 3, 4 or 5 guys?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah. I mean, he's, of course, established now inside the Top 10. Especially this week he's been playing at an insane level.

It really has been incredible to see his career so far, and he's still, even now, super young still. So he still has his whole career ahead of him.

Obviously he's going to be a top player for his whole career, and I always wish him all the best, and I definitely think that he can be at the top of the game for sure.

Q. Congrats on your week. You got a heck of a start, I think four aces in the first game. What was your mindset at this moment? Did you think maybe if you can push that rhythm in the match you can do big damage with your service in this game?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah. I mean, obviously got off to a good start in the first game. I think my service percentage after the first two or three games went down a little bit. So that kind of hurt me, especially kind of playing with a second serve and him able to take some big cuts off of the second serve.

But, I mean, overall little things here and there that I maybe could have done better today, but overall I think he just played better than me in the crucial points.

Q. Brandon, congrats on a great tournament. Just further the question that Alexis asked you about Ben competing with the top players, you've played him six times on tour. How much have you seen the variety in his game come along? We know about the big serve, the big forehand. What else has developed here that makes him a formidable opponent?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Of course, like you said, he's always had a big serve, big forehand. His physicality out there is one of the best in the world, how fast he is and how quick he is around the court.

And, also, I think he's definitely adding more variety to his game, like you said, whether it's mixing in different speeds of serve or trying to come forward as well. Yeah, I think he's overall a pretty complete player, especially at that young age. So it's great to see.

Q. Congrats for the week. You have never reached the quarters of a Masters before this event. Now you're a finalist. Does this change the path of your career in terms of confidence approaching the big events now?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah. It's definitely a big milestone for me in my career. It's definitely one that I've dreamed about since I started playing is to do well at these big events.

So obviously I still have a lot of things to work on and improve, but it's a good step in the right direction. And I definitely take a lot of positives away from this week to help motivate me and hopefully one day lift the trophy.