One of the first-round encounters at the 2026 Brisbane International will feature second-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina taking on Brandon Nakashima. Davidovich Fokina had a breakthrough season in 2025, winning 44 of the 70 matches he played. He could not cross the final hurdle, as he lost four finals, two of which the Spaniard was in winning positions in Delray Beach and Washington.
Nakashima had a decent season in 2025, having a 33-30 win-loss record (including Challenger results). The Americans’ best showing in the season was multiple semifinal finishes in Acapulco, Houston, and Chengdu. However, his results were volatile, as he also had seven first-round exits and seven second-round exits.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Brandon Nakashima Match Details
Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Tournament: Brisbane International 2026
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Davidovich Fokina vs Nakashima Head-to-Head
Davidovich Fokina has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Nakashima, with the Spaniard winning both of their matches against each other in Adelaide and Miami in 2023. Both were straight-set wins, with one set in both matches being decided in a tiebreak.
Davidovich Fokina vs Nakashima Prediction
Before last year, Davidovich Fokina had only one clay-court final to his name, as he reached the Monte-Carlo final back in 2022. However, 2025 saw the Spaniard have a terrific hard-court season, reaching four finals in Delray Beach, Acapulco, Washington, and Basel. He had heartbreaks in each of those finals, but the Spaniard finished the year with a career-best ranking of 14, mainly due to his hard-court exploits, where he had a 22-13 win-loss record.
Nakashima has reached three hard-court finals in his ATP career, with the only title of his career coming at the 2022 San Diego Open. Last year, he had a 19-14 win-loss record on hard courts, with a couple of semifinal finishes in Acapulco and Chengdu, where he lost against Tomas Machac and Alejandro Tabilo, respectively.
Davidovich Fokina will look to continue his form from last year, especially on hard courts, where he excelled last year. The head-to-head record will be in favor of the Spaniard, and he is the higher-seeded player.
On the other hand, the faster surfaces in Brisbane will help Nakashima with his serve-dominant game style. The American’s previous matches against the Spaniard featured tiebreak sets, which is highly probable in this match as well. If the American can play the pressure points well, he might have a chance, but with the current form, the second seed will be the favorite to go through to the next round.
Pick– Davidovich Fokina to win in straight sets
