PA Images / Icon Sport
Brandon Nakashima vs Mackenzie McDonald: ATP Atlanta – First round
The 2021 finalist Brandon Nakashima will take on Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the ATP Atlanta.
Brandon Nakashima Profile
Brandon Nakashima is 55th in the rankings, 12 spots lower than his career high. The American is 44-20 for the season and 11-4 on hard.
He is coming off a 7-6, 6-4 loss to Alex Bolt in the round of 16 in Newport.
Nakashima won the title at the Tenerife Challenger this season, defeating Pedro Martinez in the final, and lost in the final in Koblenz to Juri Rodionov.
This is his fourth appearance in Atlanta, and he reached the final in his debut in 2021, losing to John Isner.
Mackenzie McDonald Profile
Mackenzie McDonald is 97th in the rankings, and his career high was No. 37 in the world. The American is 5-13 for the season and 0-3 on hard.
McDonald is coming off a quarterfinal loss to Reilly Opelka in Newport.
That was his first quarterfinal of the season, and he also made it to the round of 16 in the Surbiton Challenger this season.
This is his third appearance in Atlanta, and his best result was the round of 16 in 2022.
Head-to-Head McDonald leads 3-1
- McDonald vs Nakashima 6-2, 6-0 (2023 ATP Acapulco, round of 16)
- McDonald vs Nakashima 7-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-7, 6-4 (2023 Australian Open, first round)
- McDonald vs Nakashima 7-5, 6-2 (2021 ATP Cincinnati, first round)
- Nakashima vs McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (2020 Orlando Challenger, quarterfinal)
Prediction and Conclusion
Brandon Nakashima is one of the most active players on the tour this season, as this will be his 65th match in 2024. Mackenzie McDonald, on the other hand, has played only 18 games and won only five of them. However, McDonald is the one who has won the last three matches against Nakashima and lost only two games in their last match last year. However, things have dramatically changed for him since then, and Nakashima will be pretty dominant in this one, winning by covering the -2.5-game spread.
