The first tour title came at home. Brandon Nakashima grew up in San Diego, the son of a Japanese American father and a Vietnamese-born mother, and in 2022 he won the San Diego Open a few miles from where he learned the game. That autumn he swept the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan unbeaten, past Jiri Lehecka in the final. Nothing about his game is loud: flat, early ball striking, a two-handed backhand that rarely breaks down, and a temperament that barely registers a pulse.
The climb since has been steady rather than sudden. He reached a career-high No. 29 in May 2025, then made 2026 his most convincing season yet, with a final in Brisbane in January and three tour-level semifinals by midsummer, including an upset of top seed Alex de Minaur on the Queen's Club grass. The quiet one in a loud generation of American men, he has stopped looking like a prospect and started looking like a fixture.
Eleven. That is where Arthur Fils sits in the ATP rankings now, one place outside the world's top ten, after a run to the Cincinnati title carried the 22 year old up from No. 21 and into the top 20. It is a career best for Fils, and it makes him the only Frenchman in that group.
Ranking taleEleven. That is where Rafael Jodar stands on the ATP rankings after his Montreal semi-final, up from 15 and the best ranking of his career. He is 19, the youngest man in the top 20, and Learner Tien, 20, sits one place behind him at 12 after losing his own semi-final, also a career best, up from 19.
Ranking tale