tennis | Monday, June 19, 2023 8:48 AM

Monday Tennis Best Bet: ATP London, Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman

Jon Reid

Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman Best Bet: Monday, June 19th

Good thing the bonus play was attached to Friday’s best ATP bet, considering Emil Ruusuvuori didn’t just win, but he did so in fairly straightforward fashion.

A new week brings us a pair of big events on the grass, as the road to Wimbledon continues. We’ve got a 500-level tournament in Halle, Germany and another in London.

We’ll be previewing the match between Mackenzie McDonald and Diego Schwartzman from the Queen’s Club in the British capital.

In this article:

Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman Preview
Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman Best Bet

Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman Preview

June 19th, 15:30 (UK Time)

As the season shifts to grass, Schwartzman is surely hoping that his 2023 will come into bloom.

The 30-year-old beloved by tennis fans the world over is having by far his most disappointing season since jumping up the rankings all those years ago. Despite being a more diminutive figure on the court, Schwartzman’s work ethic, consistency and point construction allowed him to reach the upper echelons of the men’s game and saw him as a fixture in the top-25.

A drop in the consistency, too many errors on the backhand wing and a clear lack of confidence on court, however, have seen him fall out of the world’s top-100 and post an abysmal 7-17 record this year.

Now he takes on McDonald, a sort of quick-surface specialist, who likes the courts to play a bit more quickly, which helps his strong, yet not overly powerful game. He also likes to take his forehand early and the way the ball skids through the courts on grass, that can take extra time away from his opposition.

Further, he’s got a consistent enough game to hang with Schwartzman when he’s able to extend rallies. I also think the fact that he’s had a few matches – and wins – on grass this season against decent quick-court opponents gives him an edge over Schwartzman.

Mackenzie McDonald vs Diego Schwartzman Best Bet

Schwartzman’s struggles have been far too extensive to ignore. Without a big serve to fall back on or weapons from the baseline, McDonald is in a great position to pick up a big win at the 500 level against the declining Argentine.

Getting to the third round of the French Open was big for Schwartzman, but the fact remains that he’s lost 11 of his last 16 matches and is outside of the top-100 – something that seemed almost impossible this time last year.

I’ll go ahead and back the better quick courter to get this done in routine fashion.