In the second round of the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal and Mackenzie McDonald will play against each other. The match will start on January 18 at 03:00.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #1 – Handicap (-8) for Nadal – 1.87.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #2 – Total Games Under 34 – 1.61.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #3 – 1st Set Games Over 9.5 – 2.156.
Three years ago, the tennis players met each other at Roland Garros and Nadal won that match with a confident score in three sets, giving McDonald only four games in the match. We expect Rafa to upset the American again in three sets.
The only head-to-head encounter between the two men took place at Roland Garros three years ago and ended in three sets. Nadal and McDonald are expected to meet again in a similar fashion and will also play in three sets.
Despite all the doubts, Rafa had a solid first round. The Spaniard started his title defence with a win over Jack Draper (7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1).
Draper played well in the first half and took the second set, but at this rate, he didn’t last long.
Strangely enough, in terms of stamina, the 36-year-old Nadal was by far the better player for his 21-year-old rival. Outrunning the king of the soil is still unrealistic if nothing is bothering him.
As you know, Nadal had lost six of his last seven matches before meeting Draper. Plus there were fears that he was still bothered by an abdominal muscle injury, but as it turned out, physically Rafa was fine.
Nadal has twelve consecutive wins on the Melbourne courts. Last season, Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev (2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5) in the Australian Open final.
McDonald, meanwhile, made it past the first round at the Australian Open for the third year in a row.
Mackenzie defeated Brandon Nakashima (7-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-7, 6-4) on Monday. McDonald led 2-0 in sets, but it was ultimately decided in the fifth set.
Remarkably, in the deciding set, MacDonald was losing with a break but managed to not only win back but also take a game on the receiving end at 4-4.
Before the Australian Open, Mackenzie won one match each at the Adelaide tournaments.
McDonald has lost his last ten meetings with the top 10, clinching just one single set.
Last season, Mackenzie left Melbourne at the end of the second round. His best result at an Australian major was in 2021 when he reached the 1/8 finals.
Type of Court – Hard
Speed of Court – 7/10
Rafael Nadal’s Rating – 2
Rafael Nadal Wins/Losses in 2023 – 1/2
Mackenzie McDonald’s Rating – 65
Mackenzie McDonald Wins/Losses in 2023 – 3/2
In 3 of McDonald’s last 5 matches, more than 9.5 games have been played in the first set. We offer to bet on “1st Set Games Over 9.5” with odds of 2.156.
Rafa Nadal leads with a score of 1-0 in the head-to-head encounters. The only time they met was at the French Open in 2020. In that match, Nadal defeated McDonald (6-1, 6-0, 6-3) in three sets.
The match will be played in Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
We recommend checking out the odds for the 2023 Australian Open: Rafael Nadal vs Mackenzie McDonald at 1xBet and VBET.