Defending Eastbourne International champion Taylor Fritz dumped out by compatriot Mackenzie McDonald

Taylor Fritz has ended his reign as the champion at the Eastbourne International after defeat to compatriot, Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday afternoon.

The World No.64 downed Fritz in a 7-6(3), 7-6(8) in a closely fought straight sets win that could've gone either way but McDonald showed ice cool composure to find his way through.

A two hour 21 minute win was McDonald's third against an opponent in the top 10 of the ATP rankings and his second of 2023 after infamously defeating Rafael Nadal.

A match which was Nadal's last for now with injury suffered meaning surgery and a last bow in 2024 likely. Now Fritz will move onto Wimbledon albeit in losing form but will get more time to prepare.

While for McDonald, he will face Mikael Ymer or Liam Broady in the last eight.

“It’s a big win for me,” said McDonald in his on-court interview. “Taylor’s a close friend, and it’s always tough playing your friends. It was a battle out there. I’m happy with how I competed and I think I put on a show today, so it was really fun.”

“[I was] a little bit [calm], but also stressed too" added McDonald on keeping his composure and mindset. “Tennis isn’t all fun and games sometimes, but I tried to have more of a relaxed mindset today. I felt that a bit, and I think that really helped me.”