🇺🇸 Mackenzie McDonald vs 🇧🇪 David Goffin

🇺🇸 Mackenzie McDonald vs 🇧🇪 David Goffin – Toronto Masters R1 Preview

🎾 Monday, July 28 · ATP 1000 Toronto · Hard Court

🧠 Form & Context

Mackenzie McDonald 🇺🇸

• 🇺🇸 U.S. swing specialist: Made his only Masters quarterfinal right here in Toronto back in 2023
• 🔄 Recent results a mixed bag: Defeated Smith in Washington R1, lost to Shelton in R2
• ⏳ Solid but unspectacular: 23–18 overall in 2025, including 11–7 on hard courts
• 🧠 Confidence booster? Beat Goffin in straight sets at the 2021 US Open

David Goffin 🇧🇪

• 🩼 Struggling for form: Just 1 win in his last 6 matches, including a loss to Bu in Washington
• 🕳️ Slipping season: Only 9 wins in 26 matches this year
• 🧱 Hanging onto his ranking thanks to 2024 performances (QF Basel, QF Shanghai, R3 US Open)
• 🇨🇦 Canadian woes: Has won just once in Toronto since 2016
• ⚠️ Danger zone: Needs points to avoid dropping outside the ATP Top 100

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a clash between two men trying to stop the bleeding in what’s been a rough season for both. McDonald has the hard-court pedigree and the benefit of home soil, while Goffin seems stuck in a spiral of poor results and fading confidence.

Goffin's silky timing can still produce flashes of brilliance, but his movement isn’t what it used to be. Against McDonald—who thrives on redirecting pace and flattening shots off both wings—that could be a serious problem. The key for McDonald will be his first serve; if it holds up, he can control the tempo. But if he gets pulled into longer, grittier exchanges, Goffin’s experience could complicate matters.

🔮 Prediction

Expect a physical, tactical encounter, but McDonald’s more consistent recent form and his comfort on North American hard courts give him the upper hand. Unless Goffin rediscovers top-level sharpness, this should tilt the American’s way.

🧩 Pick: Mackenzie McDonald in 2 tight sets, possibly with a tiebreak