Andrey Rublev suffers defeat against Brandon Nakashima in Barcelona opening round

Brandon Nakashima, aged 22, eliminated a furious Andrey Rublev, aged 26, from the Barcelona Open in the opening round with a 6-4, 7-6(6) triumph on Tuesday.

The American, positioned at 87th, defeated the eighth-ranked player in the world, who committed five double faults and only managed to force one break point during the match.

Nakashima clinched the first set by breaking the Russian in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead, then saved a break point before serving out the set.

Despite Rublev, the second seed in the tournament, saving four break points in the second set, he ultimately succumbed to defeat in the tie-break after hitting a backhand long.

The Russian vented his frustration by smashing his racket on the ground multiple times before storming off the court.

Later on Tuesday, Rafael Nadal will make his comeback against Flavio Cobolli.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has been absent from the ATP Tour since January in Brisbane, where he experienced a hip injury.

Nadal, the 12-time record holder of the Barcelona Open title, expressed on Monday that returning to the tournament was a "gift".

Having missed most of the 2023 season due to injury, the Spaniard anticipates that this year will be his final one as a professional player.

Nadal's fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023, withdrew on Sunday due to a forearm injury.