Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata has scored his first top-100 singles win at Grand Slam stage to advance to the second spherical in New York.
New York, USA, 28 August 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Rinky Hijikata can add a primary US Open main-draw singles win to his ever-growing checklist of achievements this season.
The 22-year-old Australian wildcard scored a hard-fought 7-5 5-7 6-3 7-5 opening-round victory immediately in opposition to world No.98 Pavel Kotov at Flushing Meadows.
Cheered on by a vocal crowd at Courtroom 15, Hijikata was capable of navigate quite a few momentum swings to ultimately subdue the 24-year-old Russian.
Hijikata, at present ranked at a career-high world No.110, tallied 52 winners within the gruelling three-hour and 59-minute encounter.
That is Hijikata’s seventh profession top-100 singles win – and his first at Grand Slam stage.
It continues a breakout season for Hijikata, who memorably received the Australian Open doubles title alongside compatriot Jason Kubler in January.
Hijikata’s consideration now turns to a second-round conflict with Hungary’s Marton Fuscovics.
This equals Hijikata’s career-best Grand Slam singles end result, having additionally made the second spherical at this yr’s Australian Open.
World No.41 Alexei Popyrin bowed out within the opening spherical, dropping to Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker for the second consecutive Grand Slam event.
In ladies’s singles motion, Daria Saville and Ajla Tomljanovic scored first-round wins.
Saville recorded her first win on the US Open in 5 years to arrange a showdown with world No.1 Iga Swiatek, whereas Ajla Tomljanovic made a triumphant return from knee surgical procedure.
> READ: Saville units up Swiatek showdown at US Open
Aussies in motion – US Open
RESULTS
Males’s singles, first spherical
[WC] Rinky Hijikata (AUS) d Pavel Kotov 7-5 5-7 6-3 7-5
[Q] Dominic Stricker (SUI) d Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3
Girls’s singles, first spherical
Daria Saville (AUS) d [WC] Clervie Ngounoue (USA) 6-0 6-2
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) d Panna Udvardy (HUN) 3-6 6-2 6-4
[10] Karolina Muchova (CZE) d [WC] Storm Hunter (AUS) 6-4 6-0
Mirra Andreeva d [Q] Olivia Gadecki (AUS) 1-6 6-3 6-4
Jennifer Brady (USA) d [LL] Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 6-3 7-6(4)
> READ: Tomljanovic makes profitable return at US Open
COMING UP
Males’s singles, first spherical
[13] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [Q] Timofey Skatov (KAZ)
Max Purcell (AUS) v Chris O’Connell (AUS)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Botic van de Zandschulp (NED)
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v [12] Alexander Zverev (GER)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v [Q] Hsu Yu-Hsiou (TPE)
Jason Kubler (AUS) v Matteo Arnaldi (ITA)
[LL] James Duckworth (AUS) v [Q] Felipe Meligeni Alves (BRA)
Males’s singles, second spherical
[WC] Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v Marton Fucsovics (HUN)
Girls’s singles, second spherical
Daria Saville (AUS) v [1] Iga Swiatek (USA)
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v [4] Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
> READ: Eleven Australians to contest doubles at US Open 2023
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