Reilly Opelka vs Mackenzie McDonald – Breakdown and Prediction

July 18, 2024

Reilly Opelka vs Mackenzie McDonald: ATP Newport – Quarterfinal

Two Americans Reilly Opelka and Mackenzie McDonald will face each other in the quarterfinal of the ATP Newport.

Reilly Opelka Profile

The former world No. 17, Reilly Opelka, took a long break due to injury and has fallen to 1.187th place in the ATP rankings.

After playing only one match in 2023, the American is back in action in Newport and won both of his matches so far in the tournament. In the opening round, he defeated Corentine Lesteinne 6-2, 1-6, 7-6, and then Adrian Mannarino 3-6, 6-4.

Opelka is back in Newport for the first time since 2017, when he lost in the opening round to Lukas Lacko.

Mackenzie McDonald Profile

Mackenzie McDonald is 99th in the ATP rankings, and his career high was No. 37 in the world. The American is 5-12 for the season and 5-5 on grass.

He is coming off a 6-3, 6-4 win over Billy Harris after beating Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the opener.

Besides Newport, McDonald reached the round of 16 in the Surbiton Challenger this season.

This is his third appearance in Newport, and last year he reached the quarterfinal.

Head-to-Head Opelka leads 2-1

Opelka vs McDonald 6-3, 6-4 (2020 ATP Delray Beach, round of 16)
McDonald vs Opelka 6-4, 7-6 (2019 Dallas Challenger, semifinal)
Opelka vs McDonald 6-3, 6-4 (2016 Charlottesville Challenger, semifinal)

Prediction and Conclusion

Both Opelka and McKenzie have a chance to go deep in a tournament after a while. They were both inactive most of the year, and that is especially the case for Opelka, who will play his third match in 2024. He is still one of the best servers on the tour, and that is his main asset in this match. Given the surface, there will not be many breaks of serve, so we go with over 10.5 games in the first set in this one.