US Open power couple using tournament to stay together

Posted by Admin August 31, 2024 Tennis

While Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas may not have made it past the first round of the mixed doubles event at the US Open, another power couple got off to a winning start.

Mackenzie McDonald and his girlfriend Maria Mateas received a wildcard into the draw and made the most of it, beating French team Fabrice Martin and Alexandra Panova 6-4 2-6 [10-8].

The couple have been together for two-and-a-half years but struggle to see each other because of the demands of the professional tennis tour.

Mateas was set to jet off to France for another tournament this weekend but the pair are now using the tournament to stay together as long as possible. Asked whether she would be forced to miss the W50 Saint Palais sur Mer, the lovebirds both replied: “I hope so.”

McDonald added: “This means we get to spend more days together, too, because there are tournaments right around the corner.Our days being on tour, both of us, it’s a lot. So we cherish every moment we get together.”

The ATP world No. 140 has experience on the biggest stages at Grand Slams. At the 2023 Australian Open, he famously beat defending champion Rafael Nadal. But he admitted to feeling nervous while playing alongside his girlfriend.

“I was actually pretty nervous there. But yeah, I guess my excitement showed at the end. It was really fun,” he continued. “We had a great time out there, but to get a win was actually really, really cool, because we had a tough loss last year, but I’m happy we bounced back this year and got a dub.”

Mateas – who made her Grand Slam debut in the mixed doubles with McDonald last year – was beaming after getting her first main-draw win. “This is actually one of the best moments of my life. I’m so happy right now. It’s actually crazy,” she said.

“We went out and there was only one person in the stands, so we were like, ‘Oh, this is good. We won’t get nervous.’ And then in the breaker, it was full. It was so fun. We wanted the opportunity again so bad, because last year was my first-ever Grand Slam match, and I was so nervous.

“Obviously we know each other better than anyone, but I didn’t want to let him down in a way. I don’t know. And then this year, I just went out there, and I just wanted to have a lot of fun and really enjoy it no matter what. And we definitely did that.”

The couple now have a tough test, they face No. 3 seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in round two. They will be hoping to stay in New York a little longer, as they anticipate that they will be apart for two months once their US Open campaign comes to an end.

And for now, they aren’t thinking about a title run. McDonald said: “I don’t know if we can put the T word out there yet. We’ll take it one match at a time. We’ll see. Honestly, just having another night of dinner, knowing that we’re not going to be leaving tomorrow, is big. Honestly having another day is huge. So yeah, we’ll really enjoy it as much as we can.”