16 months after torn hamstring, former UCLA star faces Nadal

A quick look at French Open:

LOOKAHE TO WEDNESDAY

At last year’s French Open, Mackenzie McDonald tore his hamstring tendon three games into a first-round doubles match, requiring surgery that left what he called “a massive scar” and making it so 2016 NCAA champion in singles and doubles for UCLA was unable to walk for about two months. On Wednesday, 25-year-old American will be out on Court Philippe Chatrier, facing 12-time champion Rafael Nal in second round. “I kw what it’s like on worst end of it w,” he said Tuesday. “So tomorrow will be fun.” McDonald, who returned to tour this year and is currently ranked 236th, called taking on Nal at Roland Garros “probably one of biggest challenges you can face in sports,” but he also said: “This year, I have best chance that I would any year, with balls, speed, with how much lower it’s bouncing. I think I’m playing my best clay-court tennis I have played, and he hasn’t played too much this year. It’s a tough challenge, but I have to believe that I can beat him.” Ar American faces ar tough task at Court Suzanne Lenglen: Jack Sock meets . 3 seed Dominic Thiem, who won U.S. Open 2½ weeks ago and was runner-up to Nal in Paris in 2018 and 2019. Serena Williams takes on Tsvetana Pironkova in Chatrier in a rematch of 23-time Grand Slam champion’s quarterfinal victory at Flushing Meows, while . 1 seed Simona Halep plays Irina-Camelia Begu in Lenglen.

WEDNESDAY’S FORECAST

Cloudy. High of 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).

TUESDAY’S WEAR

Rain. High of 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius).

TUESDAY’S KEY RESULTS

Women’s First Round: . 2 Karolina Pliskova beat Mayar Sherif 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-4; . 4 Sofia Kenin beat Liudmila Samsova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Julia Goerges beat . 19 Alison Riske 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1; Clara Tauson beat . 21 Jennifer Bry 6-4, 3-6, 9-7.

Men’s First Round: . 1 vak Djokovic beat Mikael Ymer 6-0, 6-2 6-3; . 7 Matteo Berrettini beat Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 6-1, 6-3; . 5 Stefas Tsitsipas beat Jaume Munar 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4; . 9 Denis Shapovalov beat Gilles Simon 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3; . 13 Andrey Rublev beat Sam Querrey 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.

STAT OF DAY

8 — U.S. men who reached second round, most at Roland Garros since nine in 1996. One me it that far last year.

QUOTE OF DAY

“You kw how snake kills its prey? That’s a little bit how I felt being out re.” — Ymer, on what it was like to play Djokovic.

Im credits: AP

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