SHENZHEN/STARNBERG, October 20, 2024
Mackenzie McDonald has clinched the title of the 2024 Shenzhen Longhua Open. The No. 5 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 100 hard-court event defeated top favourite Arthur Cazaux of France 6-4, 7-6(4) in Sunday’s singles final.
McDonald battled his way to the championship match through the bottom half of the draw with wins over Australian qualifier Thomas Fancutt, Rio Noguchi of Japan, Kris van Wyk from South Africa and No. 2 seed Adam Walton of Australia.
The 29-year-old Californian withstood seven aces and broke Cazaux’s serve one time to prevail after one hour and 47 minutes.
Shenzhen (Longhua) Ch F: FOURTH TIME WAS THE CHARM FOR MACKENZIE MCDONALD!!! 1st YTD Ch title, d. Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 7-6(4).
Parts of the 1st set almost panicked me out but Mackie’s attacks looked more consistent and it showed~
@ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/pnrJazjqy3
— stateofsport21 // raz (she/her) (@eretzsport022) October 20, 2024
McDonald lifted his fourth ATP Challenger career trophy, his first since 2021 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The World No. 137 earned $18,230 in prize money as well as 100 ATP Ranking points.
The fifth edition of the Shenzhen Longhua Open offered a total prize pool of $133,250 and was hosted by the Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park in Shenzhen City, located in southeastern China. It is a dynamic and rapidly growing metropolis known as the country’s tech hub.
Established as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980, Shenzhen transformed from a small fishing village into a global center of innovation and manufacturing. Today, it hosts the headquarters of major tech giants like Huawei, Tencent, and DJI, earning it the nickname “Silicon Valley of China.”
