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Former UVA Tennis Star Brandon Nakashima Upsets No. 13 Denis Shapovalov at Wimbledon

Nakashima advances to the third round of Wimbledon for the first time

Matt Newton

Photo courtesy of Peter van den Berg/USA TODAY Sports

Former Virginia tennis star Brandon Nakashima pulled a massive upset at Wimbledon on Thursday, taking down No. 13 seed Denis Shapovalov in the second round, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6. 

The Canadian Shapovalov, who was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2021, is currently the No. 16-ranked men's tennis player in the world. Nakashima won the first and third sets handily before taking the fourth set via 8-6 tiebreaker to clinch the match. 

Nakashima advances to the third round of Wimbledon for the first time in his career. This is the second-consecutive third round appearance at a Grand Slam for Nakashima, who also made it to the third round at at Roland Garros a month ago. 

Although his time at Virginia was short, Nakashima certainly left his mark. He became the sixth Cavalier in program history to be named the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019 and also made the All-ACC First Team and All-ACC Academic team. Nakashima left UVA to turn pro after his first year. 

Currently the No. 56-ranked men's singles player in the world, the 20-year-old Nakashima advances to the third round and will face Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia on Saturday. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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