Firenze Open 2022: Jenson Brooksby vs Mackenzie McDonald preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Jenson Brooksby vs Mackenzie McDonald.
Date: October 11, 2022.
Tournament: Firenze Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Firenze, Italy.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $612,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jenson Brooksby vs Mackenzie McDonald preview
Americans Jenson Brooksby and Mackenzie McDonald are set to clash in the first round of the 2022 Firenze Open on Tuesday.
Brooksby has continued to make considerable strides in his young career this season. He reached the third round at Wimbledon and the US Open, his best results at this year's Grand Slams. The American also made it to the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time at Indian Wells and repeated the feat the following week in Miami.
Brooksby has also reached a couple of finals this season. The first was at the Dallas Open, where he lost to Reilly Opelka in two tight sets. His second runner-up finish was at the Atlanta Open, going down to Alex de Minaur in straight sets. His most recent tournaments were the San Diego Open and the Korea Open.
Brooksby made it to the quarterfinals in the former, while reaching the semifinals of the latter. His results this season have helped him reach a career-high ranking of No. 33.
It has been a decent season for Mackenzie McDonald. A third-round appearance at the French Open and the Miami Open were his best results at the big tournaments this year. His other notable results include the quarterfinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Korea Open.
McDonald competed in the Japan Open last week. His singles campaign came to an end in the second round as he lost to Kwon Soon-woo in the second round. He teamed up with Marcelo Melo to compete in doubles as well. The two went on to win the title by defeating Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 in the final.
This was McDonald's first ATP title in either singles or doubles. The American will now be aiming to continue this momentum in Firenze.
Jenson Brooksby vs Mackenzie McDonald head-to-head
Brooksby leads McDonald 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 San Diego Open in three sets.
Jenson Brooksby vs Mackenzie McDonald odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jenson Brooksby vs Mackenzie McDonald prediction
Their previous encounter took place less than a month ago. McDonald had his chances, but missed quite a few of them as he went 2/8 on break points. Brooksby's ability to turn the points around with his counterpunching is sublime.
McDonald will need to attack Brooksby's serve right from the get-go. His younger opponent's serve remains a vulnerability and if he's able to keep the 21-year-old under constant pressure while on serve, he could eventually make a breakthrough.
However, that's easier said than done. Brooksby has managed to circumvent his apparent weakness quite well by excelling in other aspects. His results have been a bit better than McDonald's this year and given their past head-to-head, it's likely that he'll emerge victorious yet again.
Pick: Jenson Brooksby to win in straight sets.