Winston-Salem Open 2025: Mackenzie McDonald vs Luciano Darderi preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: Mackenzie McDonald vs (3) Luciano Darderi

Date: August 19, 2025

Tournament: Winston-Salem Open

Round: Second Round (Round of 32)

Venue: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $798,335

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky UK | Canada - TSN

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Luciano Darderi preview

McDonald in action at the 2025 Libema Open (Image Source: Getty)

Mackenzie McDonald will take on third-seed Luciano Darderi in the second round of the 2025 Winston-Salem Open on Tuesday, August 19.

McDonald has had a lacklustre run during the North American hard-court swing. He suffered second-round exits at the Citi DC Open and the Canadian Open before falling to Corentin Moutet in straight sets in the Cincinnati Open opener.

At the Winston-Salem Open, McDonald faced fellow American Brandon Holt in the first round. He broke twice to take the lead after the first set. Despite losing the second set, McDonald held his serve well and closed out the match in the deciding set tie-break to win 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-6(2).

Meanwhile, Darderi enjoyed an impressive run on the tour before the North American hard-court swing. He clinched back-to-back titles at the Nordea Open and the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. The Italian went on a nine-match winning streak during this period.

However, Darderi has appeared in just one hard-court tournament since the Miami Open. The Italian played at the Cincinnati Open, where he suffered a second-round defeat against Francisco Comesana. He received a first-round bye in Winston-Salem.

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Luciano Darderi head-to-head

McDonald leads the head-to-head against Darderi 1-0. He defeated the Italian 6-4, 6-2 in their only meeting so far at the 2023 Mexican Open.

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Luciano Darderi odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Mackenzie McDonald	-105	+1.5 (-275)	Over 22.5 (-140)
Luciano Darderi	-120	-1.5 (+185)	Under 22.5 (-105)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Luciano Darderi prediction

Darderi at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships (Image Source: Getty)

McDonald has an 8-11 overall win-loss record this season, and he has yet to get past the second round of a tournament. However, given the confident overall play and composure that he exhibited in the first round, he looks prepared to finally break the jinx.

Darderi has been excellent on clay this season, but his hard-court performances have not matched that success. He registered just one win across seven hard-court tournaments this year. The Italian has also had limited game-time during the North American hard-court swing, playing just one match so far.

McDonald does not have an impressive record on hard either. However, given his opponent's incompetence on the surface, the American might well squeeze through to the next round. He also has the head-to-head advantage over the Italian.

Pick: McDonald to win in three sets.