Fifth seeded Italian Jannik Sinner will face the unseeded Mackenzie McDonald in the Final of the 2021 Citi Open. The match is scheduled to take place on Sunday August 8th, 2021 at 5:00pm EST.
Both Jannik Sinner and Mackenzie McDonald have been outstanding so far here at the Citi Open and are each seeking to win their first ever ATP-500 event. The Italian Sinner has firmly established himself as one of the best if not the best young players on the ATP Tour and is the heavy favorite to win here. Can the American cause the upset and win his first ever Tour-Level title? Or will Sinner get the win as expected and become the champion here in Washington?
Jannik Sinner is truly a teenage phenomenon and has displayed maturity beyond his 19 years, already having two ATP titles to his name and gunning for a third here in Washington. The Italian has steamrolled his way through the draw here at the Citi Open, reaching the Final without dropping a set. He crushed the impressive young American Jenson Brooksby in the Semi-Finals, serving extremely well and dictating the tempo of the match from the baseline. He never allowed Brooksby to get any rhythm whatsoever by taking all the balls early and attacking non-stop. He is the big favorite here due to his experience at this level and the fact that he has much more firepower than his oppoenent Mackenzie McDonald.
Mackenzie McDonald is unseeded here at the 2021 Citi Open and is ranked 107 in the world. This is the American’s first ATP Final and he will be delighted at his performances so far this week. Long considered a very talented but inconsistent player, hopefully this is the start of some good results for McDonald, and he can spend all of his time at this highest level now. An elite mover, his fighting spirit has been on full display here in Washington, and he was very impressive in his three set upset win over Kei Nishikori in the Semi-Finals. He was able to hold his nerve in the key points and hang on for the three set win. He has a big baseline game despite his small stature, but he is likely to struggle with Sinner’s firepower, and he will have to be at his absolute best to make this match interesting.
This is the first time that the two players will meet on the ATP Tour, and it is looking like an easy win for the Italian here. Mackenzie McDonald has played well this week, but it is very unlikely that he will able to withstand the barrage of power shots that are likely to come his way. Jannik Sinner is a better player and is stronger in most if not all areas, and I think that he will be able to overpower his opponent with relative ease. McDonald is a fighter and has the advantage of playing at home, so he may be able to keep it close for a while, but expect the Italian to eventually pull away and get the win. Jannik Sinner will win here and become the Citi Open champion, winning the first ATP-500 title of his young career.