(FILA North America) - FILA sponsored player Brandon Nakashima capped off his stellar 2022 season, emerging victorious at the year-end Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. Nakashima defeated Jiri Lehecka 4-3(5), 4-3(6), 4-2 in Saturday's title match to cap off an undefeated week.
“I am super happy right now,” Nakashima told the ATP Tour. “It was a great tournament, this whole week. This final was another tough match. Just a few points that could have gone either way. I am happy with my level today. It is a good way to finish off the year.”
The 21-year-old American rising star has had a breakout season in 2022, debuting in the ATP Top 50 rankings and reaching the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time (London). He claimed his first career ATP Tour title this year with a win in his hometown at the San Diego Open in September.
With the victory, Nakashima becomes the fifth tournament champion in history, following in the footsteps of Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, and the first American champion.
In the world of pickleball, 15-year-old phenom Anna Leigh Waters continued her dominant ways at the FILA-sponsored Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships, which concluded this past weekend in Indian Wells, California. Waters once again captured the triple crown, winning the gold medal across three disciplines - women’s singles, women’s doubles (with partner Catherine Parenteau) and mixed doubles (with partner Riley Newman).