Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: Mackenzie McDonald vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Toronto

Mackenzie McDonald is coming off a straight-set win over Milos Raonic, which was a nice way for the American to back up his dominant performance against Andrey Rublev in the previous round. McDonald will now face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a spot in the semifinals of the National Bank Open, and I really like his chances of doing so in Toronto—especially at plus-money odds.

Davidovich Fokina has also had an impressive showing at this tournament, as he has earned wins over J.J. Wolf, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud. But the Spaniard did get a little lucky in the win over Ruud, as the Norwegian was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set. From there, Ruud’s game completely fell apart, allowing Davidovich Fokina to book his spot in the quarterfinals.

McDonald doesn’t have the same pedigree as Ruud, but I do think he can similarly frustrate Davidovich Fokina in this match. The American is one of the best defenders in the men’s game right now, as he has tremendous speed and is just an absolute wall along the baseline. That can be hard on a player like Davidovich Fokina, as he always goes big on his groundstrokes. With that in mind, I’m anticipating some unforced errors from the Spaniard in this one. And if McDonald can avoid making his own, he really should win this match.

It's also a little hard to ignore the fact that McDonald’s serve has been impressive this week. The American was easily holding against both Rublev and Raonic, and he would have a huge leg up on Davidovich Fokina if he brings that same level of focus with the ball on his racquet. Davidovich Fokina’s serve can be a real weakness for him, and McDonald is a rock-solid returner.

Overall, I’m not sure there’s a lot that separates these two players, and I think McDonald has been a marginally better player since the two arrived in Toronto. That said, I think it’s worth grabbing the underdog in this spot.

Line Call: McDonald ML (+118)