Shanghai Masters 2023: Francisco Cerundolo vs Mackenzie McDonald preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (20) Francisco Cerundolo vs Mackenzie McDonald

Date: Saturday, October 7

Tournament: Shanghai Masters 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China

Category: ATP 1000

Surface: Hard (Indoor)

Prize money: $8,800,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN

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Francisco Cerundolo vs Mackenzie McDonald preview

Cerundolo opens his campaign on Saturday.

Twentieth seed Francisco Cerundolo opens his campaign at the Shanghai Masters against unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald.

World No. 21 Cerundolo is 35-22 on the season and is coming off wins at the Laver Cup for Team World and Davis Cup for Argentina last month. The 25-year-old Argentine started the season with quarterfinal runs at Cordoba and Buenos Aires before also doing so at Miami.

Following last-eight runs at Barcelona and Rome, the Shanghai debutant reached the final at Lyon and the second week at Roland Garros. The Argentine won his first title of the season on the grass courts of Eastbourne before he made the Bastad last four.

Meanwhile, the 38th-ranked McDonald is also having a solid season. The 28-year-old American opened his Shanghai campaign with a straight-set win over Corentin Moutet.

After dropping two games in the first set, McDonald continued his dominance in the second - conceding three games - to improve to 2-1 at Shanghai and 30-25 in 2023.

Earlier this season, McDonald made the semifinals at Delray Beach and the quarterfinals at Acapulco. Following a string of early exits on clay, the American returned to form on grass, reaching the last eight at 's-Hertogenbosch and the semifinals at Eastbourne.

McDonald continued his good form on the North American hardcourts, reaching the quarterfinals at Newport and the Canada Masters. Since then, he has gone 6-5.

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Francisco Cerundolo vs Mackenzie McDonald head-to-head

In his only meeting with McDonald, Cerundolo won the Eastbourne semifinals in three sets en route to winning the title. This is the pair's first clash on hardcourt.

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Francisco Cerundolo vs Mackenzie McDonald odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Francisco Cerundolo
Mackenzie McDonald

The odds will be updated when they are released.

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Francisco Cerundolo vs Mackenzie McDonald prediction

McDonald is up and running in Shanghai.

Both Cerundolo and McDonald like to dominate opponents from the back of the court. Both can serve big, hit powerfully off either flank, and also move well.

However, the Argentinian takes the edge because of his superior consistency if not experience and pedigree. Cerundolo has a losing 18-21 record on hardcourt, while McDonald is 76-78.

However, considering McDonald's better recent form on the surface, expect the American to register an upset.

Pick: McDonald in straight sets