US Open 2024: Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald
Date: August 27, 2024
Tournament: US Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald preview
Top seed Jannik Sinner will take on Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the US Open 2024.
Sinner started the season by capturing his maiden Major title at the Australian Open. He ousted defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and rallied from two sets down to pip Daniil Medvedev in the championship round. He continued his good run of form with a title in Rotterdam after that.
Sinner tasted his first defeat of the season at the Indian Wells Masters, going down to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. He then rebounded with a title at the Miami Open. He concluded the clay swing with a title, with semifinal appearances at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the French Open being his best results.
The Italian nabbed his fourth title of the year in Halle to begin his grass season with a bang. However, he was sent packing by Medvedev in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He missed the Paris Olympics and fell to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open upon his return.
Sinner then claimed his fifth title of the season at the Cincinnati Open with a win over Frances Tiafoe in the final. Shortly after his triumph, it came to light that he had tested positive for a banned substance twice in March this year, and it has become a major story in the lead-up to the US Open.
While Sinner has been on a high this season, McDonald's results have been on the other end of the spectrum. After three straight losses to begin the season, he took some time off to treat an injury following his exit from the Australian Open.
McDonald lost his first three matches on his comeback and finally won his first match of the season at the Libema Open. His next two victories came at the Hall Of Fame Open, and his most recent win was at the Atlanta Open. He's currently on a three-match losing streak.
Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald head-to-head
Sinner leads McDonald 3-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous meeting at last year's Paris Masters in three sets.
Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald prediction
The outcome of this match seems like a foregone conclusion given their results this year. Sinner has won 48 matches this season, while McDonald has only four main draw wins to his name. The latter has also dropped out of the top 100 after starting the season ranked 41st.
Sinner has also won all three of his prior matches against McDonald, and two of them were on hardcourts. The American's form has taken quite a hit this year, while Sinner continues to play at a high level.
McDonald also has only a couple of wins at the US Open in his career. Unless Sinner is too distracted by the controversy that surrounds him at the moment, he should be able to breeze through this match.
Pick: Jannik Sinner to win in straight sets.