Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Miami match.
For the first time this season, Pavel Kotov has made it past the opening round of qualifying, confidently defeating Galarneau. However, in the final stage of the qualifiers, he faces a serious challenge against American Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald also had some difficulties in the first round but is the favourite in this match.
Pavel Kotov
In the previous round against Canadian Alexis Galarneau, the Russian tennis player hit 11 aces and won 74% of points on his first serve. His opponent noticeably tired towards the end of the match and offered little resistance in the second and third sets (6:1, 6:2). It is also worth noting that Kotov has yet to successfully qualify for an ATP tournament this season—he was stopped in the final qualifying round on four previous occasions.
Mackenzie McDonald
The American encountered unexpected difficulties in the first round against Nikoloz Basilashvili. The Georgian comfortably took the first set (6:1), then lost a tie-break in the second, before retiring at 3:2 in the third. However, McDonald showed a high first-serve percentage (77%) and struck nine aces.
Pavel Kotov vs Mackenzie McDonald Prediction
Kotov has improved his serve, but in terms of overall gameplay, he is inferior to McDonald. Both players regularly compete in Challenger tournaments, but the American holds a stronger record this year at 14-6, while the Russian is at 4-7. Therefore, we’re backing McDonald to win with a handicap of -2.5.
