Winston-Salem Open 2025: Mackenzie McDonald vs Brandon Holt preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: Mackenzie McDonald vs (WC) Brandon Holt

Date: August 17, 2025

Tournament: Winston-Salem Open

Round: First Round (Round of 64)

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

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 Brandon Holt preview

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

Mackenzie McDonald will take on wildcard entrant Brandon Holt in the first round of the 2025 Winston-Salem Open on Sunday, August 17. The winner will meet third-seed Luciano Darderi in the second round.

McDonald has had a lacklustre season this year, with a win-loss record of 8-10. His North American hard-court swing commenced at the Citi DC Open. He registered a straight-sets win over Colton Smith before falling to Ben Shelton in the second round of the ATP 500 event.

At the Canadian Open, McDonald played a decent serving game to outclass David Goffin in the first round. However, Jiri Lehecka cut short his run in the second round. The American then suffered an opening-round exit at the Cincinnati Open.

Meanwhile, Holt has been impressive on the Challenger circuit this year, winning titles at the Challenger Nonthaburi and the Challenger Bengaluru. However, the American has barely played on the main tour, registering just a single win at the Mallorca Championships.

Holt did not play in Washington and Toronto. At the Cincinnati Open, the American squared off against Tristan Boyer in the opener. He got broken once in the first set and failed to get through a tie-break in the second, suffering his fourth first-round exit of the season.

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Brandon Holt head-to-head

This will be their first meeting on the tour. Hence, their head-to-head record is 0-0. However, they once faced off at the 2025 Australian Open qualifiers, where McDonald registered a 6-4, 6-4 win over Holt.

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Brandon Holt odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Mackenzie McDonald	-400
Brandon Holt	+290

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM. The remaining odds will be updated once they are available.)

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Mackenzie McDonald vs Brandon Holt prediction

Brandon Holt at the 2023 Australian Open (Image Source: Getty)

McDonald has struggled to make deep runs this season, with his best finish being the second round. His record on hardcourts is inferior to that on other surfaces combined, securing a win percentage of just 40.

Holt's limited experience on the main tour this year has been a concern. He has played just six matches, losing five of them. The American has yet to get through the first round of a hard-court tournament.

Neither player has a clear edge over the other. However, McDonald is expected to get through, given his slightly superior form on the tour this season. His strong baseline play and agile off-the-ball movements will be the difference.

Pick: McDonald to win in three sets.