US Open prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Mackenzie McDonald

After a strong start to 2023 at the Australian Open, things got ugly for former World No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime.

After his trip to the round of 16 in Melbourne, the big-serving Canadian battled injuries and inconsistent form, culminating in a stretch of tennis where he lost five matches in a row, including first-round defeats at both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Auger-Aliassime did finally break out of his slump with an impressive win over Matteo Berrettini at the Cincinnati Masters, but he was unceremoniously bounced from that tournament in his next match against Adrian Mannarino.

If he was even in lukewarm form, he’d be a chunky favorite over Mackenzie McDonald in round one of the US Open.

Not only is the 23-year-old an immense talent, but it was only two years ago Auger-Aliassime made it to the semifinals at Arthur Ashe.

He has generally performed well at the two hard-court majors, unlike his struggles in early rounds at other Grand Slams.

McDonald is no pushover. The American is ranked as the No. 39 player in the world at the moment, but he’s coming off a retirement in his last match and his ceiling is considerably lower than Auger-Aliassime’s.

This really is a bet on which version of Auger-Aliassime shows up Monday evening, and I think it’s more likely than not that we see a strong showing from the Canadian.

THE PLAY: Felix Auger-Aliassime -1.5 sets (-112, FanDuel).