Kei Nishikori vs Mackenzie McDonald: Kei to take a confident revenge on Mackenzie

In round 2 of the US Open, Japanese Kei Nishikori will face Mackenzie McDonald, No. 61 in the world. Less than a month ago the men played each other in the semifinals of the Washington tournament and the Japanese lost that match in three sets, quite unexpectedly. Will Kei be able to take revenge in New York?

After the Olympics and before the US Open, Nishikori played two tournaments. As it has been mentioned, in Washington, Kei made it to the finals, outplaying Querrey, Bublik, Norrie and Harris. In Toronto, Nishikori defeated Kecmanovic, but never played against Hurkacz due to injury. Despite health problems, Nishikori came to New York. Moreover, Kei beat Salvatore Caruso in four sets. In the first two sets, the Japanese only allowed the Italian to win two games. But in the third, Nishikori had a small setback, losing the set 5-7. Overall, Kei left a good impression in New York, so we hope the Asian player will continue to improve.

The Washington Open was probably the peak for McDonald. After the tournament in the capital, Mackenzie lost to Benoît Paire in Toronto. And in Cincinnati, McDonald defeated Nakashima, but lost to Medvedev. The Russian had no trouble overcoming that hurdle, winning 2-0 and losing only four games. In New York, McDonald won against Goffin in three sets. On the one hand, it indicates his good form. On the other hand, it was a very weak match for the Belgian. 

Not an easy game to bet on, but we believe in the Japanese player. Kei has been quite active in tennis in the second half of 2021, having played a number of tournaments, including the Olympics, and probably prepared well for the final Majors of the year. Currently, Nishikori ranks No. 56, but we'll see where he will be in two weeks' time. If he succeeds in New York, Kei may move up 10 positions. The odds for the upcoming match are the following: H1 (-1.5) for 1.74, ITO1 (19.5) for 1.80.