Rinky Hijikata, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Talia Gibson headline a star-studded lineup on the Metropolis of Playford Tennis Worldwide this week.
Playford, SA, 21 October 2024 | Jackson Mansell
High-100 duo Rinky Hijikata and Thanasi Kokkinakis headline a star-studded lineup at this week’s Metropolis of Playford Tennis Worldwide.
The pair enter the event as the highest two seeds, because the Australian Professional Tour hosts its first ATP Challenger occasion since early February.
In the meantime, a red-hot Talia Gibson leads the entrants for the ladies’s ITF occasion in Playford.
> MORE: In-form Gibson focusing on Grand Slams, high 100
No.1 seed Hijikata is aiming for his second title in Playford after 2022, when he defeated Max Purcell and James Duckworth to win his maiden Challenger title.
Since his US Open 2023 marketing campaign, which noticed him attain the fourth spherical, Hijikata has remained within the high 100, and is at the moment ranked 79th.
Hijikata, 23, can be part of Duckworth as a two-time champion if he’s profitable this week.
Kokkinakis will purpose to spoil these plans when he competes in entrance of a house crowd. Whereas the South Australian has not gained a title for the reason that Sarasota Challenger in April, he has claimed some large wins previously few months.
In July, Kokkinakis defeated world No.17 Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon, earlier than prevailing towards Stefanos Tsitsipas within the first spherical of the US Open. The world No.83 can be hoping to enhance on final yr’s second-round exit in Playford.
Additionally within the draw is seventh seed is Omar Jasika, who will put his 27-match profitable streak on the road. Jasika has gained his final 5 tournaments, triumphing in Bali (twice), Darwin (twice) and Cairns. So as to proceed his streak, the world No.193 should win his first Challenger match since July.
On the ladies’s aspect, Gibson is contemporary off three consecutive titles and has a formidable 14-match profitable streak of her personal.
Ranked 129th, Gibson is aiming to achieve direct entry into the Australian Open – the primary time she would bypass qualifying at a Grand Slam.
“Direct entry right into a Grand Slam might be one in every of my largest targets,” she stated on The Sit-Down podcast.
“Having simply performed all the Grand Slams this yr and having gotten into [qualifying] off of my very own rating, I believe that was already an enormous step ahead for me and one thing that was actually thrilling.”
Profitable back-to-back titles within the doubles, the 20-year-old can even be hoping to assert her first singles crown on the event.
She can be joined by fellow West Australian Taylah Preston and Cairns Worldwide 2 champion Destanee Aiava as the highest seeds.
