McDonald vs. Raonic National Bank Open odds and best bet: Pick Canadian to advance

Milos Raonic’s unexpected and impressive run at the National Bank Open continues on Thursday with a match against Mackenzie McDonald.

The pregame narrative: In a year where there have been few notable moments for Canadian tennis, Raonic is jumping right to the top of the list. He’s turning back the clock and we expect him to earn another win on home soil.

Tennis oddsas of 8:47 a.m. on 08/10/2023.

McDonald vs. Raonic National Bank open odds and best bet

Best Bet: Raonic to win (-112)

Raonic may not be as good as he once was, but he’s proving he can still play.

With a laundry list of injuries to his name and entering the twilight stages of his career, it’d be foolish to expect Raonic to sustain an elite level of tennis for an entire year. But in his home country and near his hometown of Thornhill, Ontario, he’s offering glimpses of his past self.

His patented serve continues to drive his success. Raonic has an impressive 52 aces to just 10 double faults at the National Bank Open. Unsurprisingly, he has won 26 of his 27 service games.

This matchup against McDonald, however, will be an excellent example of how styles make fights. McDonald ranks 19th in return rating (145.8) per ATPtour.com, making him the toughest challenge for Raonic in that aspect of the match.

The level at which Raonic is serving right now is unlike anything McDonald has seen at this tournament. McDonald has faced Aslan Karatsev and Andrey Rublev and neither possesses Raonic’s ability in that area. Karartsev’s serve netted him 10 double faults while Rublev didn’t register a single ace.

Raonic has faced a quality returner in Taro Daniel, defeating him 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. While we’re expecting McDonald to pose a larger challenge for Raonic, we’re still picking him to win with his serve in fine form.

Key stat: Raonic dominated Daniel in his most recent match, never facing a break point in his straight-sets victory.