Karen Khachanov vs Mackenzie Mcdonald Prediction & Betting Tips - Shenzhen Open, China

Prediction published on 23/09/2023, 09:00  by Devesh Jaganath in Tennis Predictions

World number 15 Karen Khachanov will take on 38th-ranked Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-final of the ATP Zhuhai Championship on Sunday. The winner of this match will move on to face either Sebastian Korda or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the semi-final. These two have met on three previous occasions, and Khachanov has won all three. Two of those wins were on the hard court. Khachanov is coming off a three-month absence after picking up an ankle injury at Roland Garros. His first appearance since returning came at the US Open, but he was beaten in straight sets by wildcard Michael Mmoh in round one. Here in China, he beat Alex Bolt in the last round but is clearly still some way from his absolute best. The Russian is now 24-12 for the year and 14-7 on the hard court. While he has not won a major title yet this season, he did reach the last four at the Australian Open and Miami Masters. He is the marginal favourite here. 

Despite being a strong favourite in the last round, McDonald needed three sets to overcome Kimmer Coppejans. That followed another three-set battle against Juncheng Shang in round one. In his last match, the American earned 16 break points but only managed to convert four. While his opponent here is still working back to full fitness, McDonald cannot afford to be that wasteful in this one. Like his opponent, McDonald has not won a title yet this season but has consistently featured in the latter stages of competitions. He is 32-25 for the year and 21-11 on the hard surface. Can he claim his first win against a recovering Khachanov?