McDonald gets lucky break after Alcaraz withdrawal: American to face Frenchman in Shanghai first round!

After losing in the qualifying rounds, American Mackenzie McDonald has been given a second chance at the Shanghai Masters 1000.

This Tuesday, after winning the ATP 500 Tokyo tournament, world number one Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters 1000 starting this Wednesday, October 1st.

With the main draw already conducted, a lucky loser will replace the Spaniard in the draw. Thus, Mackenzie McDonald, who lost in the final qualifying round to Rei Sakamoto (6-4, 6-3), gets the lucky loser spot.

The American, ranked 96th in the world, will face Quentin Halys in his opening match. The 30-year-old player will make his third appearance in the main draw of the Shanghai Masters 1000.

In 2018, he lost in the second round to Roberto Bautista Agut (3-6, 6-4, 6-1) after coming through qualifying, and then in 2023, when he fell at the same stage of the competition to Francisco Cerundolo (7-6, 7-6).

A semi-finalist at the Jingshan Challenger last week, McDonald hopes to regain confidence and will need to defeat a Frenchman in the first round to match his best career performance at this Chinese tournament.