Canadian Open 2023: Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Fixture: (WC) Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald
Tournament:Canadian Open
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Date: August 10, 2023
Venue: Toronto, Canada
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $6,600,000
Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald preview
Wildcard Milos Raonic will take on unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the last eight at the Canadian Open on Thursday.
World No. 545 Raonic belied his lowly ranking with an impressive performance against Taro Daniel in the second round. In the pair's third meeting on the ATP tour, the 2013 finalist dropped four games to take the opener.
It was more of the same in the second set as the 32-year-old Canadian conceded three games to improve to 4-2 on the season and 14-10 at the Canadian Open, where he made the second round in his last appearance in 2019.
Raonic enjoyed another dominant outing - blasting 42 winners and 15 aces - to wrap up victory in 90 minutes. He's looking to reach his first Canadian Open quarterfinal since 2016, but standing in his way is McDonald.
The 59th-ranked American is having a solid - if not spectacular - season. In the second round, McDonald upset sixth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.
It was the same scoreline as Raonic's second-round win over Daniel, as McDonald won 6-4, 6-3 to bring up his 23rd win in 42 matches this year. He's now 2-3 at the Canadian Open, having opened his account at the tournament this year by beating another Russian - Aslan Karatsev - in the first round.
Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald head-to-head
Raonic has split his two meetings with McDonald, who won the pair's last meeting - on hardcourt - in the opening round in Shanghai five years ago.
Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald odds
The odds will be updated when they release.
Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald prediction
Both Raonic and McDonald are baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there. Raonic is one of the biggest servers on tour, has a power-packed game and moves well, while McDonald has more modest weapons.
The Canadian - playing only his second ATP tournament in two years - has already blasted 52 aces in two matches. In what's likely his final appearance at his hometown tournament, Raonic should have enough firepower to beat McDonald as he seeks a deep run.
Fatigue and lack of game time could inhibit the Canadian - who has played only six competitive matches in the last two years. Nevertheless, expect Raonic to take the win.
