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Mackenzie McDonald Wins LA Futures, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan Wins ATP Dubs Title in India, Max Schnur Wins Challenger Dubs Title in Australia

by | Jan 8, 2017 | Blog

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Mackenzie McDonald may have left school after his junior year at UCLA but the 2016 NCAA singles champion felt right at home on a college campus as he won his second career pro singles title with a straight set win over Virginia freshman Carl Soderlund at the $25K USC/LA USA F1 Futures.  

Soderlund came into the match having won 8 of 9 sets this week and it looked like he’d make it 9 of 10 after the Stockholm, Sweden, native opened up an early 4-1 lead. Soderlund held fairly comfortably in each of his first three service games while also breaking McDonald’s second service game at love courtesy of two double faults. McDonald held from 40/15 to pull within 2-4 and then he got the match back on serve at 3-4 after breaking Soderlund in a one-deuce game which Soderlund led 40/30. McDonald held at love to even it at 4-4 which then set up the defining game of the match. 

Soderlund fell behind 30/40 but he won the next two points to take the advantage. Soderlund thought he had the hold after hitting what appeared to be a forehand winner but the linesman called it wide and there was no overrule much to Soderlund’s dismay. McDonald played from ahead the rest of the game and after 11 minutes and 5-deuces he finally got the break when he ripped a second serve backhand return winner down the line. McDonald held from 40/15 to close out the set and surprisingly in less than 25 minutes he’d be raising the trophy as Soderlund slowly faded away. 

McDonald dominated the second set by winning 24 of 30 points and he’d close out the match by holding from 40/15 to win it 6-4, 6-0 in 1 hour and 2 minutes. McDonald finished the match by winning the final 11 games and if you go back to Soderlund’s final service game of the first set he won 30 of the last 37 points. 

McDonald won $3200 and more importantly picked up 27 ATP points which should bump his ranking up to a new career high of around 285. McDonald only has 1 ATP point to defend between now and late July so he has an opportunity over these next several months to really make a move.

Soderlund won $2120 and 15 ATP points which will move his ranking to around 419 (399 CH). 

You can rewatch the final at this LINK though the camera didn’t get turned on at first strike so the feed begins with McDonald serving 3-4 (30-0) in the first.  

 

SoCal Pro Futures Singles Title

 

Give Steve Pratt’s recap a read for quotes from McDonald and Soderlund.

$25K Los Angles USA F1 Futures Final
[5] Mackenzie McDonald (15.36/UCLA ’16) def. [8] Carl Soderlund (14.60/Virginia Fr) 6-4, 6-0
 
 
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2011 Washington graduate Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (Washington ’11) won his first career ATP doubles title in his hometown of Chennai, India, when he and Rohan Bopanna defeated Purav Raja (Loyola Marymount ’04) and Divij Sharan 6-3, 6-4 in the finals of ATP 250 Chennai Open. It was Nedunchezhiyan 24th career doubles title with 20 of those coming at the Futures level, 3 at the Challenger level, and now the 1 at the ATP level. Nedunchezhiyan and Bopanna split $24,240 while each earned 250 ATP points. The 250 points boosted Nedunchezhiyan to a new career high doubles ranking of 86.
 
 

Thank you @rohanbopanna0403 good luck in Melbourne ! @chennaiopen #doubles #winnerwinnerchickendinner #partytime with @nehatripathi92

A photo posted by Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan ??? (@jntennis) on

 
 
2015 Columbia graduate Max Schnur won his 10th career doubles title as he and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo defeated Steven De Waard and Marc Polmans 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-6 in the finals of the $75K Happy Valley (Australia) Challenger. Schnur and Podlipnik-Castillo split a $4650 purse and each earned 80 ATP points. When the new rankings come out later this evening Schnur will have a new career high of ranking of 101 – not too bad for a guy that had only played a handful of pro matches up until June 2015.
 
Max Schnur