By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday November 14, 2022
Belinda Bencic guided Switzerland to BJK Cup glory, while Brandon Nakashima was crowned Next Gen king.
Photo Source: Getty
In our new weekly feature here at Tennis Now, In conjunction with our friends at Tennis Express, we’re bringing you two players, who really stood out – one from the WTA Tour and one from the ATP Tour.
The Tennis Express players of the week!
This week, as we enjoy the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, we are celebrating the season-ending performances of Belinda Bencic, who led the Swiss to Billie Jean King Cup Glory over the weekend in Glasgow, and American Brandon Nakashima, who capped his season off with an undefeated run at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Bencic has had a history of making history when playing with the Swiss flag on her back. Let’s not forget she won Olympic Singles gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games, becoming the first Swiss woman to achieve the feat, and racked up a silver medal in doubles, playing alongside compatriot Viktorija Golubic.
Bencic, who employs her trusty Yonex Ezone 100 to take the ball early off of both wings, also uses Yonex PolyTour Pro monofilament strings. And she always looks sharp in the latest Nike gear and tennis shoes. You can shop the Swiss’s gear at Tennis Express, just in time for our Black November sale…
SHOP BELINDA'S GEAR AT TENNIS EXPRESS
Speaking of November… it was just a year ago when the Swiss fell short against Russia in the Billie Jean King Cup finals in 2021 – that was a dramatic, controversial final in which Russia was accused of cheating in the final – Bencic would later reveal that she never cried so much in her life. That was when her teammate, Jil Teichmann, told her not to worry because they were going to come back and win the title in 2022.
Lo and behold that is exactly what the Swiss did. Determined Bencic put up a brilliant performance last week, leading the way for her compatriots by winning all four of her singles matches without dropping a single set. Bencic clinched the final on Sunday, losing just three games to Ajla Tomljanovic, and now her place in Swiss tennis lore is solidified.
Congrats Belinda, and congrats Team Switzerland.
On the men’s side Brandon Nakashima of the United States takes home honors. Nakashima ran the table at the Next Gen ATP Finals, winning the title without a single loss and taking home the biggest paycheck of his career at $435,000!
Nakashima proved that he is ready to step from Next Gen to NOW gen in Milan. The talented 21-year-old is part of a talented crop of American youngsters that has their sights set for the top-10 and beyond. Nakashima, who claimed his maiden ATP title in September in his home town of San Diego, finishes the season ranked No.48 in the world. He won 30 matches on tour this season, taking his career total of victories to 50.
For a 21-year-old that’s quite impressive.
And we can surely expect many more from the rising talent. Nakashima reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year, and he joins a group of Next Gen champions in Milan that also includes world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nakashima currently plays with the Babolat Pure Strike 98 and strings it with Wilson Natural Gut in the mains and Babolat RPM Blast in the crosses.
SHOP BABOLAT'S PURE STRIKE AT TENNIS EXPRESS
It’s a setup that works wonders for him, and if you want to try it, you can find anything you need, including some of that sweet FILA apparel Brandon wears, at tennis express.com. Congrats to Belinda Bencic and Brandon Nakashima, our tennis express players of the week.