BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 18: Mackenzie McDonald plays a forehand against Hugo Grenier during the Mens Singles First Round on Day One of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell at Real Club De Tenis Barcelona on April 18, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Two American players, Brandon Nakashima and Mackenzie McDonald will face each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 Mexican Open on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old has produced some memorable results this season. He exited in the second rounds of the two tournaments in Adelaide at the beginning of the year. In the Australian Open, he reached the third round with a huge win against Rafael Nadal. After a second-round exit in the Dallas Open, McDonald reached the semis of the Delray Beach Open.
McDonald faced Italian qualifier Luciano Darderi in the first round of the Mexican Open. This turned out to be a lopsided contest that McDonald won 6-4, 6-2. The American player smashed 11 aces in the encounter and had a win percentage of 85 on the first serve. He also wasn’t broken in the entire match.
The champion of the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals was ousted in the round of 32 of the Adelaide International 2. He lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the first round in a humdinger.
Nakashima took on world No. 95 Daniel Altmaier in the round of 32 of the Mexican Open. The 21-year-old played exceedingly well in sets one and three to win the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. He had a win percentage of 80 on the first serve and was broken only once.
The two players have faced each other on three occasions. McDonald leads the head-to-head scoreline 2-1. He defeated Nakashima in a riveting five-set thriller in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 1-6, 6-7 (10-12), 6-4.
Prediction: Mackenzie McDonald to win in three sets.
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