2nd seed Frances Tiafoe squares off against compatriot Mackenzie McDonald in the round of 16 of the 2023 Dallas Open on Wednesday.
The American athlete played a pivotal role in the USA winning the first-ever edition of the United Cup. He went on to play in the Australian Open where he made it to the third round.
In the first round, Tiafoe defeated Daniel Altmaier, hitting 22 aces and having a win percentage of 84 on the first serve. In the second round, Tiafoe made light work of Juncheng Shang, defeating the Chinese star in straight sets. Tiafoe’s run in Australia was ended by 18th seed Karen Khachanov. The Russian star defeated Tiafoe in four sets in a match where the two players fired a total of 35 aces.
The 27-year-old lost in the round of 16 of the Adelaide International 1 to Yoshihito Nishioka. In the Adelaide International 2, McDonald defeated 5th seed Dan Evans before going down to Mikael Ymer in the round of 16. McDonald defeated Brandon Nakashima in the first round before registering his biggest win thus far against top seed Rafael Nadal in the second round. In the third round, the American star once again lost to Yoshihito Nishioka.
McDonald had a comfortable win in the first round of the Dallas Open. He eased past Fernando Verdasco in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.
Frances Tiafoe and Mackenzie McDonald have faced each other on six occasions. The latter has a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head scoreline. McDonald emerged victorious in their most recent meeting in the 2019 Mexican Open in three sets.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in three sets.
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