Houston 2025: Brandon Nakashima vs Mackenzie McDonald preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships

Match Details

Fixture: Brandon Nakashima (4) vs Mackenzie McDonald

Date: April 3, 2025

Tournament: US Men's Clay Court Championships

Round: Second Round

Venue: River Oaks Country Club, Houston, Texas

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Maroon Clay (Outdoor)

Prize Money: $680,140

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

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Brandon Nakashima vs Mackenzie McDonald preview

BNP Paribas Open - Day 8 - Source: Getty

In an intriguing matchup, Brandon Nakashima faces fellow American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Houston Open. Nakashima is the fourth seed in Houston and the higher-ranked player at No. 32, but in their four past encounters, has found McDonald, ranked 100, an insurmountable obstacle.

Nakashima likes this tournament, however. He reached the quarterfinals last year and comes to Houston on the back of decent hardcourt performances this term. The 23-year-old made it to the quarter-finals at Delray Beach and the semifinals in Acapulco. He exited in the second round at Indian Wells and Miami but to good opposition in Ben Shelton and Grigor Dimitrov.

McDonald defeated clay specialist Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round, breaking the Colombian's serve three times without giving up his own serve once, winning 6-2, 6-7(3),6-4.

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Brandon Nakashima vs Mackenzie McDonald head-to-head

Despite the disparity in their rankings, Nakashima has never beaten McDonald on the ATP tour. They've played four times, and McDonald leads 4-0. In addition, McDonald won three of their matches in straight sets, and a five-set epic at the 2023 Australian Open.

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Brandon Nakashima vs Mackenzie McDonald odds

Players	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Brandon Nakashima	-180	TBC	TBC
Mackenzie McDonald	+143	TBC	TBC

All odds sourced from BetMGM.

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Brandon Nakashima vs Mackenzie McDonald prediction

Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship - Day 2 - Source: Getty

McDonald will have the confidence of knowing Nakashima has never beaten him, although they are yet to meet on a clay court. Nakashima is the only one of the pair to win an ATP title, and is the younger man by six years.

As the fourth seed, Nakashima is playing his first match of the tournament, while McDonald's win over Elahi Galan will have been priceless in adapting to the surface. The head-to-head record suggests that the clash of styles may not suit Nakashima too, so there are significant barriers to the favorite's progression.

Despite the head-to-head, Nakashima should still prevail on the clay, but he'll need three sets to do so.

Pick: Brandon Nakashima in three sets.