Winner faces Bautista Agut in the QF.
No. 4 seed Holger Rune returns to the Andy Murray Arena after a confident opening encounter this week. He meets Mackenzie McDonald of the USA in a high stakes Round of 16 match at the 2025 HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London. The two pocket rockets are set to meet for the first time in two years on Wednesday.
The Danish sensation is a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, and does well with pace on the ball. He has a solid serve as well as an able slice to back it up. Rune possesses an impressive 20-12 record in 2025, which includes a title in Barcelona where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz. He has won 88% service games on this surface over the past year, and holds a 3-1 record during this time. The 22-year-old beat O’Connell 6-3 6-4 in the Round of 32.
On the prowl for the first trophy of his season and career, Mackenzie McDonald has struggled with consistency over the years. Despite having a couple of deep runs in the ATP Challengers, the 30-year-old American is yet to reach a tour-level quarterfinal this year. He comes into this match with a mediocre 5-6 record, and a Round of 16 exit at the Libema Open. However, McDonald’s qualifying victories and a Round of 32 win over Gael Monfils will restore some confidence in him.
The head to head between Holger Rune and Mackenzie McDonald is tied at 1-1, ahead of their HSBC Championships 2025 Round of 16. Both previous matches were played in 2023.
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Rune and his American counterpart have split the matches in this rivalry so far. The Dane won their first face-off with relative ease at the Indian Wells Masters-1000 two years ago. Despite both matches being played on American soil and on outdoor hard courts, McDonald failed to capitalise to the fullest. But after Rune unfortunately had to retire from their Cincinnati Open Round of 32, McDonald evened up the head-to-head.
Event | Round | Winner | Score |
2023 Cincinnati | Round of 32 | Mackenzie McDonald | 6-4 2-0 RET. |
2023 Indian Wells | Round of 64 | Holger Rune | 7-5 6-3 |
Holger Rune | Category | Mackenzie McDonald |
0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
5 | ATP Singles Titles | 0 |
0 | ATP Doubles Titles | 1 |
1 | Masters-1000 Titles | 0 |
– | Olympics Best Performance | – |
No. 9 | Current World Ranking | No. 98 |
Rune looked in fine form in the Round of 32 on Monday, requiring just 78 minutes to down lucky loser O’Connell. The 2023 Queen’s semifinalist produced clutch tennis when it mattered most, saving all three break points during the course of the battle. He has won 10 of his last 11 matches against players outside the Top-20 on grass – we predict McDonald to become the 11th victim.
Prediction: Holger Rune in straight sets.
London calling 🌱 #queenstennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/3CZ7yWEuix
— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) June 12, 2025
The money line suggests close to 70% chance for Holger Rune to enter the quarterfinals. He is the firm favourite on the betting market. Here are the odds for this Round of 16 fixture on Andy Murray Arena (sourced from BetMGM):
When it comes to the sets and games, it is unlikely that the match will be extended into a third set, as per the money line. As per BetMGM, Rune is likely to dominate McDonald in straight sets. Here are the details:
(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The PlayOffs, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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