By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday September 21, 2023
Mackie McDonald brought on some levity after a hard-fought win over Shang Juncheng in Zhuhai.
Photo Source: TTV
When Mackie McDonald locked up his hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 victory over China’s Shang Juncheng on Thursday at Zhuhai, the first thing on the American’s mind was the welfare of the hobbled 18-year-old.
The 158th-ranked 18-year-old was suffering from an ailment – perhaps cramps – and McDonald rushed across to Shang’s side of the net after the two hour and 35-minute clash to give him a piggyback ride back to his chair.
No.6-seeded McDonald, the Northern California native whose grandparents hail from Guangdong province, advances to the second round to face Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejeans.
Murray Advances in Straights
Andy Murray eased past Chinese wild card Mo Ye Cong 7-5, 6-3 to set a second-round clash with Aslan Karatsev, who topped Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi, 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-2.
36-year-old Murray has claimed five titles on Chinese soil, including three at the Shanghai Masters.
"It was a very fast court," 41st-ranked Murray said after his 15th win of the season (15-12). "The conditions are very humid and he played a solid level and pushed me while I was trying to adjust to the conditions. Once I managed to get ahead in the second set, I felt a little bit more comfortable."