INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: Mackenzie McDonald of the United States plays a forehand against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during their second round match on Day 6 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on October 09, 2021 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
American star Mackenzie McDonald squares off against Filip Krajinovic of Serbia in the round of 128 of the 2023 Indian Wells on Thursday.
The 27-year-old began the season with second-round exits in the Adelaide International 1 and Adelaide International 2. He managed to reach the third round of the Australian Open. During his campaign in Melbourne, McDonald defeated the legendary Rafael Nadal in the second round, which was the biggest win in his career. In Dallas, McDonald lost to Frances Tiafoe in the second round. McDonald played in the Delray Beach Open where he got to the semifinals with wins against Taro Daniel, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Michael Mmoh.
World No. 53 most recently played in the Mexican Open where he made it to the quarterfinals with wins against Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima. McDonald lost to Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals. Last year in Indian Wells, McDonald lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the second round.
The Serbian star is coming into the tournament on the back of a 3-match losing streak. He reached the quarterfinals in Maharashtra but has had a tough time since then. In the Australian Open, he lost to Holger Rune in the first round. In Montpellier, he defeated Aslan Karatsev before losing to Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.
World No. 74 crashed out in the first rounds of the Open 13 and the Dubai Tennis Championships, losing to Alexander Bublik and Andrey Rublev respectively. Last year in Indian Wells, Krajinovic made it to the second round where he lost to Gael Monfils.
Mackenzie McDonald has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline. He defeated Krajinovic in the round of 16 of the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships in two competitive sets 6-4, 7-6.
Prediction: Mackenzie McDonald to win in three sets.
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