Get to know US Open wild card Brandon Nakashima

The list of wild cards has come out for the Western & Southern Open and US Open in New York and one 19-year-old has landed a coveted spot in both draws. Brandon Nakashima snagged a qualifying wild card for "Cincy" and a main-draw spot for the Grand Slam.

Earlier this summer, the teen was hopeful about his dreams coming true.

“I’m definitely most looking forward to playing the US Open, if possible,” he says on the TENNIS.com Podcast. “All of the Grand Slams I would enjoy playing, but right now during this time I think the US Open I’m most wanting to play.”

Here's all you need to know about the newcomer.

1

After an ITF junior career reaching world No. 3 and one semester at the University of Virginia, Nakashima turned pro. The San Diego native won his second ITF Futures title in January, solidifying his decision to leave a college scholarship behind.

2

He got a wild card into the ATP 250 in Delray Beach in February, though he only found out a few days prior to the tournament's start. Making his ATP debut, he'd win two matches and put up a fight against Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarterfinals, impressing with his impenetrable baseline game and tough mental strength.

Nakashima was a star for the Chicago Smash in his first-ever season of WTT. (Ryan Loco)

3

In his final tournament before the shutdown he reached the semifinals of the Oracle Challenger Series in Indian Wells. The run boosted his ranking to No. 220. He then spent the tournament layoff training hard at home in San Diego.

4

After competing in a few exhibitions in California, Nakashima joined the Chicago Smash for a full season of World TeamTennis in West Virginia in July. He would finish fifth in the standings in men's singles during the regular season, and then deliver shutout performances in the playoffs: a 5-1 win over Tennys Sandgren and a 5-0 blowout of Jack Sock.

“More than anything, I think [my goal is] to just trying to develop my game and keep improving my game, especially at this young age,” Nakashima says. “So when I do end up playing those Grand Slams and getting to those high-pressure moments, my game would be built for those moments.”

5

After traveling with coach Beau Treyz at the start of the year, Nakashima added Pat Cash to his team. By the summer, he was working full time with Serbian Dusan Vemic, with Cash still signed on for 20 weeks a year.

“He’s a very good as a student,” Vemic says. “He listens, respects and implements it into his game very quickly. The future is bright. Our objective is for him to grow. There are qualities that I see that are maybe underrated—they’re not flashy—but those are qualities that you want to have as a top tennis player.”

Watch out for Nakashima when the Western & Southern Open qualifying draw begins on August 19.

For more photos, videos, results and live action from World TeamTennis, go to WTT.com.