Nick Kyrgios against Mackenzie McDonald (W.C.)

Date: 5 April 2022

Tournament: U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships 2022

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Houston, Texas, USA

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clay

Prize money: $665,330

Live telecast: USA – ESPN 3 | U.K. – Amazon Prime Video

Nick Kyrgios Vs. Mackenzie McDonald Preview

On Tuesday, Nick Kyrgios and Mackenzie McDonald will face off in the first round of the 2022 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships. The start of clay season begins in April. And this ATP 250 tournament in houston open cricket 2022 is the first on the ATP Tour. Kyrgios will participate in clay for the first time since the 2019 Italian Open.

Kyrgios’s career has taken a turn for the better this year. He won the Australian Open doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters, where Rafael Nadal defeated him in a three-set fight. Along the way, he defeated Casper Ruud to earn his first top-10 finish of the season.

 At the Miami Open, Kyrgios defeated World No. 7 Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-0 in the second round. Before defeating Fabio Fognini in the third round. The Australian was knocked out in the fourth round by Jannik Sinner. On the other hand, Mackenzie McDonald did not go past the second round. This was in any of his first six tournaments this year.

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He broke the streak in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The American was defeated in three sets by eventual champion Andrey Rublev. McDonald lost in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters against Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. He defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Miami Open before falling to World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the third round. McDonald’s will be eager to improve its fortunes on clay now that the hardcourt season is over.

Head-to-Head: Nick Kyrgios Vs. Mackenzie McDonald

The two have previously met, with McDonald holding a 1-0 advantage. At the 2021 Washington Open, he won their lone meeting in straight sets.

Prediction: Nick Kyrgios vs. Mackenzie McDonald

Kyrgios’ results this year have made him the favorite going into this match. Neither player, though, is at ease on clay. The Australian has won 25 matches on the surface in his career. He will be back on it for the first time in three years. Despite reaching his first career final on clay at the 2015 Estoril Open. Kyrgios has yet to make any more gains on the surface.

 McDonald’s clay performances do not augur well for his chances either. The American has lost early in practically every tournament in which he has competed on the surface, with a semi-final appearance in a Challenger event last year being his best finish so far.

The game will most certainly be a rough affair. Kyrgios’ thunderous serve isn’t as effective on clay, but it’s still a weapon in his arsenal. He’s a far better server than the American, and if he keeps serving as he did at Indian Wells and Miami, he’ll have the upper hand in this match. The success of the Australian in doubles has boosted his whole game, making him more adept at the net. McDonald lacks the potency of his opponent, but his consistency has frequently won him victories. 

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Kyrgios has a propensity to self-destruct, particularly when things don’t go his way, which is more probable on clay. If McDonald can keep up with the Australian for a set or two, he has a chance to win. However, waiting for your opponent to crumble is not a sustainable tactic, and the American must also be aggressive. Ultimately, despite Kyrgios’ dislike of the red soil, he’s expected to get off to a winning start.

It Is How Farag Claimed His Gold

Egypt’s World No.1 Ali Farag started the year in the best possible way. Further defeating compatriot Mazen Hesham in four games to win the PSA Gold level houston open cricket 2022 in Texas. It was the eleventh match between the Egyptian couple on the PSA World Tour. Along with Farag winning eight of the previous nine meetings, including their past six. Hesham’s only victory over his countryman came in the Qatar Classic quarterfinals in 2015.

Farag started well, hoping to continue his fine run, and while ‘the Falcon’ was able to square the first at 6-6, a sudden burst gave the two-time World Champion the advantage, and he took it 11-6 to lead. On the other hand, Hesham came back in the second, and despite seeing the World No.1 save three game balls, he was ultimately able to convert it 11-8 to tie the match. Farag struggled early in the third, but he weathered the storm and then managed to go back on the front foot in the middle portion of the game, reestablishing his dominance.

Farag and Hesham Through to the Final

Hesham and Farag advance to the final from the semi-finals. Ali Farag and Mazen Hesham will square off in the houston open cricket 2022 final after defeating Mostafa Asal and Gregoire Marche in their previous four meetings at the houston open cricket 2022 Squash Club. The World No.1 came into the match with a 9-1 edge over the ‘Raging Bull,’ but the teenager started the stronger of the two, pinning Farag behind him on the court as he retained control.

However, a quick-fire second game tied the match, and the two-time World Champion went on to win the third game on a narrow tie-break, 13-11. However, Asal battled back once more to claim the fourth and bring the match to a decider.

The fifth game grew a little rougher, with frequent stoppages owing to referee rulings. Farag maintained his cool to win his eleventh victory against Asal and go to the final in houston open cricket 2022. Farag will meet compatriot Hesham in the final on Sunday after defeating France’s Gregoire Marche in straight games to seal his spot in a Gold final for the first time in his career.

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Hesham, who has been plagued by injuries for the majority of his career, appears back to his best, and he was able to demonstrate that from the start against the Frenchman, despite both players having been through five-game struggles on quarter-finals night. After winning the first game in a tie-break, ‘the Falcon’ was able to take that momentum into the second game, where he doubled his lead. On the other hand, Marche battled back in the third, and Hesham had to save many game balls. He did, and at the second attempt, he won, securing his spot in Sunday’s final.

Wrapping Up

Raphael Kandra of Germany and Shahjahan Khan of Pakistan had to keep their nerve in their first matches at the houston open cricket 2022 Open, with both players struggling through in five games to seal their places in the second round at houston open cricket 2022 Squash Club in Texas. Khan of the United States had to wait until the conclusion of the day’s action to demonstrate what he could do in front of his home audience as he defeated Frenchman Lucas Serme in an 81-minute struggle.

 Serme had a great start, rallying from a deficit to win the opening game on a tie-break, but Khan seized a 2-1 lead. The Frenchman claimed the fourth to force a final game, in which Khan had to save match balls to come back from 10-8 down in the fifth, collecting four straight points to seal his berth in the second round at houston open cricket 2022 Squash Club.

 Earlier in the day, Kandra of Germany faced Sebastien Bonmalais in the first Tour match of 2022, and it was the Frenchman who took the early lead following some exciting squash. However, after falling behind two games to one, Kandra could re-direct the momentum in his favor, completing the comeback to earn a berth in the second round against top seed Ali Farag.

Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller also needed a decisive game to go past USA’s Faraz Khan in the opening round in houston open cricket 2022, while Egypt’s Mohamed ElSherbini also went the distance in his duel with USA’s Todd Harrity, finally coming out on top. Dimitri Steinmann of Switzerland defeated Declan James in four games, and Egypt’s Youssef Soliman and Omar Mosaad, as well as Mexico’s Cesar Salazar, also won.

Due to the withdrawal of the tournament’s No.2 seed, Mohamed ElShorbagy, one hour before the action begins, a ‘Lucky Loser’ will take the place of the ‘Beast from Alexandria’ in the second round. The draw will take place early Wednesday morning, before the commencement of the second round.