HSBC Championships 2026: Brandon Nakashima upsets top seed Alex de Minaur at Queen’s
• 4 minute read
Brandon Nakashima continued his impressive run at the HSBC Championships as he claimed a landmark straight-sets victory over world No.6 Alex de Minaur to reach his first semi-final at Queen’s Club.
The American delivered one of his best career performances to beat the tournament’s top seed 7-5, 6-3, producing a composed display under pressure and capitalising on the key moments to seal only his third career win over a top-10 opponent.
In a match defined by tight margins, it was Nakashima who proved clinical when opportunities arose. The 24-year-old converted his only break point in each set and saved the lone break point he faced while serving for the match to secure the biggest grass-court victory of his career.
Having reached his maiden ATP 500 semi-final, Nakashima left the court full of confidence after another statement win during what is becoming the standout week of his season.
“This is definitely one of my favourite tournaments throughout the year,” Nakashima said post-match. “To be able to do so well and have good results here, I’m super happy about it.”
“I feel anyone can beat anyone on any given day. Eventually, at some point, my time was coming…it feels great.
“Going into the match against him, you know you’re going to have to work for every point.”
The result adds further momentum to a season in which Nakashima has steadily re-established himself among the ATP Tour’s rising contenders.
Having entered the week ranked inside the world’s top 40, he has now recorded victories over several high-quality opponents and finds himself just one win away from a place in the biggest final of his career.
He said: “I think my game suits the grass pretty well. I’m able to adapt pretty quickly with the footwork and timing and everything.
“I haven’t had any major results or anything or wins against top players, but I feel like I have been pretty consistent.
“I feel very comfortable here…London is one of my favourite cities in the world…just overall great feelings here.”
For De Minaur, meanwhile, it was another frustrating near miss on grass.
The Australian arrived in London as one of the leading contenders for the title, particularly following the withdrawals of Carlos Alcaraz and Britain’s Jack Draper.
Despite suffering defeat in the Libema Open final to Kamil Majchrzak last week, de Minaur’s quality on grass and status as the tournament’s top seed made him the player to beat this tournament.
Speaking earlier in the week, the Australian acknowledged the challenges of moving quickly from ’s-Hertogenbosch to London but remained confident in his ability to contend.
“It’s a quick turnaround,” he said. “But I’ve got a lot of experience on grass and that makes me dangerous here.”
Despite producing another energetic display, De Minaur was unable to create enough openings against an opponent who served with authority and consistently looked to take control of rallies with crushing ball striking.
That attacking mindset has been central to Nakashima’s success this week.
The American emphasised the importance of “being aggressive” and looking to dictate with the “first ball” whenever possible, a strategy that paid dividends against one of the tour’s most resilient competitors.
Grass has long been one of Nakashima’s most effective surfaces. He owns a career win percentage above 58 per cent on the surface and has repeatedly shown an ability to adapt his game to faster conditions.
Last year, he reached the third round at Wimbledon before narrowly losing a five-set contest to Lorenzo Sonego, and his performances at Queen’s suggest he could be poised for another deep run when The Championships begin later this month.
Eventually, at some point, my time was coming…it feels great.
This semi-final is the 14th of Nakashima’s career and represents another significant milestone in a journey that has already included ATP Tour and Next Gen ATP Finals titles in 2022.
After breaking through as one of the most promising young players on tour, his progress was disrupted by injury. A knee problem hampered much of his 2023 campaign and continued to affect his preparations the following season, limiting both his match play and momentum.
However, the American gradually rebuilt his confidence through the ATP Challenger Tour before producing encouraging results at the 2024 US Open. There, he defeated both Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the fourth round before eventually falling to Alexander Zverev.
His resurgence has also been aided by a new coaching partnership with former world No.6 Wayne Ferreira. The South African has previously worked with players including Frances Tiafoe and Jack Draper, helping both achieve career-best results on the ATP Tour.
Nakashima has been quick to praise Ferreira’s influence since the pair began working together.
“I have definitely learned a lot from him,” he said.
“We’re planning on working together until the end of the year to see how it goes.”
With the top seed now out and several leading contenders already absent from the draw, Nakashima’s victory has blown the tournament wide open.
In the next round, he'll play Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, fresh off the back of his three-sets victory over Britain's Arthur Fery.
This article was written by Alex Rhodes - winner of the British Tennis Journalists’ Association’s Mike Dickson Award.
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