Rinky Hijikata is off to a successful begin within the US Open 2024 males’s singles competitors.
New York, USA, 27 August 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Rinky Hijikata is aware of how one can produce his finest tennis on the Grand Slam stage, as he’s demonstrating as soon as once more at this 12 months’s US Open.
The 23-year-old Australian recorded a hard-fought 7-6(1) 3-6 6-4 6-3 victory in the present day towards harmful world No.59 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina within the opening spherical of the lads’s singles competitors.
“That is what you dream of,” Hijikata informed Stan Sport after the match. “I really feel like I’ve performed some actually good tennis at this match earlier than and clearly had an incredible run final 12 months, so I really feel snug right here.
“I’ve put in lots of arduous work this 12 months and it hasn’t at all times been easy crusing, so to come back out right here and put in a efficiency like that, I’m fairly happy with myself.”
Davidovich Fokina has been ranked as excessive as world No.21 and has twice progressed to the fourth spherical at Flushing Meadows. Nevertheless, in a see-sawing encounter that lasted three hours and 17 minutes, Hijikata wore his higher-ranked opponent down together with his relentless stress.
“When he’s on, he’s just about unplayable,” Hijikata mentioned of the 25-year-old Spaniard. “He’s most likely one of the explosive guys on tour, he’s very fast.
“He’s not a simple man to come back up towards first up, so I knew I used to be going to must play properly to get by means of.”
Hijikata calmly saved 4 set factors, two within the tenth sport and an additional two within the twelfth, earlier than blitzing his approach by means of an opening-set tiebreak.
He proved composed beneath stress as soon as once more within the fourth set, the place he fought again from a 1-3 deficit.
“I’m happy with the best way I fought by means of,” mentioned Hijikata, who received the ultimate six video games of the match so as to add to an already spectacular US Open document.
Hijikata first made the world take discover throughout his Grand Slam main-draw debut at Flushing Meadows in 2022, when he memorably prolonged then-world No.3 Rafael Nadal to 4 units in the course of the opening spherical in an Arthur Ashe Stadium night time match.
Final 12 months, Hijikata defeated three higher-ranked opponents to cost into the US Open fourth spherical as No.110-ranked wildcard.
Returning this 12 months at a career-high rating of world No.62, Hijikata now faces a frightening second-round problem. He’ll look to document his career-first top-10 win when he performs world No.9 Grigor Dimitrov for a spot within the third spherical.
“As at all times, I’ll simply compete as arduous as I can,” Hijikata mentioned.
Earlier in the present day, Alexei Popyrin made a formidable begin to his US Open marketing campaign, scoring a complete victory towards Korean Soonwoo Kwon.
> READ: Popyrin powers into second spherical at US Open 2024
Hijikata and Popyrin are amongst a unprecedented 12 Australians on this 12 months’s US Open males’s singles draw, our highest illustration in 45 years.
Aussies in motion – US Open
RESULTS
Males’s singles, first spherical
[28] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) d Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) 7-5 6-2 6-3
Rinky Hijikata (AUS) d Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) 7-6(1) 3-6 6-4 6-3
Alexandre Muller (FRA) d Adam Walton (AUS) 3-6 7-6(7) 6-3 6-4
Ladies’s singles, first spherical
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) d [Q] Ann Li (USA) 6-4 6-4
[Q] Maya Joint (AUS) d Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-4 7-5
[2] Aryna Sabalenka d [Q] Priscilla Hon (AUS) 6-3 6-3
[24] Donna Vekic (CRO) d [Q] Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 6-4 6-4
> READ: Maya Joint makes main breakthrough at US Open 2024
COMING UP
Males’s singles, first spherical
[10] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Marcos Giron (USA)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Fixed Lestienne (FRA)
James Duckworth (AUS) v [31] Flavio Cobolli (ITA)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v [11] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Chris O’Connell (AUS) v [26] Nicolas Jarry (CHI)
Max Purcell (AUS) v Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)
[Q] Li Tu (AUS) v [3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
[WC] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) v Taro Daniel (JPN)
Males’s singles, second spherical
[28] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v Pedro Martinez (ESP)
Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v [9] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
> VIEW: US Open 2024 males’s singles draw
Ladies’s singles, first spherical
Daria Saville (AUS) v [Q] Ena Shibahara (JPN)
[Q] Arina Rodionova (AUS) v Wang Xinyu (CHN)
[WC] Taylah Preston (AUS) v [25] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
[Q] Destanee Aiava (AUS) v [4] Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Ladies’s singles, second spherical
[Q] Maya Joint (AUS) v [14] Madison Keys (USA)
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v [33] Elise Mertens (BEL)
> VIEW: US Open 2024 girls’s singles draw
> READ: Ten Australians to contest doubles at US Open 2024
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