Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Mackenzie McDonald preview, head-to-head and prediction
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs Mackenzie McDonald
Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022.
Date: 24 February 2022.
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Dubai, UAE.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,794,840
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andrey Rublev vs Mackenzie McDonald preview
Second seed Andrey Rublev will take on Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday.
Rublev started his 2022 season at the Australian Open and strolled into the third round following comprehensive wins over Gianluca Mager and Ricardas Berankis. But the Russian was stunned 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 by veteran Marin Cilic. His early exit in Melbourne caused him to drop down a spot to seventh in the ATP rankings.
Rublev entered the Rotterdam Open as the reigning champion and reached the semifinals of the competition following straight-set wins over Henri Laaksonen, Kwon Soon-woo and Marton Fucsovics. However, the 24-year-old was beaten by eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final four.
Rublev then reached the final of the Open 13 Provence following hard-fought wins over Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille and Benjamin Bonzi. He exacted revenge on Auger-Aliassime in the final to win the ninth singles title of his career.
The 24-year-old launched his campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Dan Evans. Rublev then locked horns with South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo in the second round. The Russian dropped the first set but bounced back to take the next two and reach the quarterfinals of the competition.
Andrey Rublev just can't stop winning 🔥
The second seed comes back from one set down to beat Kwon Soon-woo 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 to reach Quarterfinal in Dubai 👌
#AndreyRublev #Dubai #Tennis https://t.co/0O9xxrcPh1
McDonald, meanwhile, started his 2022 season at the Melbourne Summer Set, where he was seeded eighth. He reached the second round of the competition before losing to Botic van de Zandschulp.
The American followed this up with an opening-round exit at the Adelaide International.
McDonald reached the second round of the Australian Open after defeating Nikola Milojevic in four sets. However, he lost to Aslan Karatsev in four sets.
The 26-year-old then suffered second-round exits at the Open Sud de France and the Rotterdam Open following defeats to Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur respectively.
McDonald then travelled to Dubai, where he beat Karatsev in the opening round. He followed this up with a win over Filip Krajinovic to seal his place in the quarterfinals.
Mack Attack!
As the rest of the American men have been battling each other around North America, Mackenzie McDonald has been overseas mixing it up at slightly bigger events.
It's gone pretty well!
McDonald defeats Filip Krajinovic, 6-4, 7-6 to make the quarterfinals in Dubai! https://t.co/SAlTf5GXgk
Andrey Rublev vs Mackenzie McDonald head-to-head
Thursday's match in Dubai will be the second meeting between the two players, with McDonald leading the head-to-head 1-0. Their previous encounter was in the first round of the 2019 Australian Open, where McDonald beat Rublev 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Andrey Rublev vs Mackenzie McDonald prediction
Rublev will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite. The Russian has a pretty good record this year, winning 11 out of 13 matches so far.
Rublev will look to deploy his aggressive style of play against McDonald and dictate with his serve and forehand. The American will have to find a way to counter the Russian's power. McDonald is quick around the court and steady from the baseline. However, he does not have any real weapons or variety to throw Rublev off his game.
Given the Russian's current form, he should have little trouble beating the American to reach the semifinals.
Prediction: Rublev to win in straight sets