Atlanta R2 previews and predictions: Tiafoe vs. Karatsev, Nishioka vs. McDonald

Atlanta tournament headliner Frances Tiafoe will have to hit the ground running this week with his first match against dangerous Russian Aslan Karatsev. Mackenzie McDonald will also be in action against Yoshihito Nishioka.

(3) Frances Tiafoe vs. Aslan Karatsev

American Frances Tiafoe is probably not having the season he would have hoped for at the start of 2024. The world No. 29 is an even 15-15 coming into Atlanta, and while he played well at Wimbledon and was oh-so-close to knocking eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz out, he still lost in the third round. He may have at least gotten a confidence boost from playing well at the All-England Club.

Tiafoe’s first opponent is the inconsistent (and struggling) but still dangerous Aslan Karatsev from Russia. Coming into this event, he as a shocking 1-6 on the season, with his only win coming at the Rome Masters over Mackie McDonald. He did win his first round in Atlanta, but it was over world No. 114 Billy Harris, who came up through qualies.

Given recent form, this shouldn’t be too difficult for Tiafoe. He will be playing in front of an appreciative “home” crowd on his preferred surface and against an opponent badly out of form.

Cheryl pick: Tiafoe in 2

Ricky pick: Tiafoe in 3

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Mackenzie McDonald vs. Yoshihito Nishioka

This is a surprisingly prolific matchup. Mackie McDonald and Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka have played 6 times previously with the matchup favoring Nishioka 4-2. The Japanese player has had a rough season, with a losing record coming into Atlanta even after his run to the quarterfinals in Eastbourne last month. He has spent the season on the Challenger circuit or attempting to qualify for main tour events.

Mackenzie McDonald looked good in his first round win this week over No. 6 seed Brandon Nakashima. The American struggled mightily in 2024. He came into the Atlanta event on a dismal 3-9 record, but he had a positive run in Newport last week, where he made the quarterfinals, so he’s playing with more confidence than he has the rest of the season.

This is a good opportunity for McDonald to at least make his second quarterfinal in a row. Look for the American to advance.

Cheryl pick: McDonald in 3

Ricky pick: McDonald in 2

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