By Erik Gudris | @ATNTennis | Wednesday August 23, 2023
Country music, beautiful sunsets, and Southern hospitality are always on hand at the Winston-Salem Open, the final stop on the ATP Tour before the US Open.
The ATP 250 event, hosted on the grounds of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, offers local fans a chance to savor world-class tennis in a cozy venue that often has a feel of a local community event where friends and neighbors say “Howdy” to each other. Where families will not only cheer on their favorite players, but also their children serving as ball kids this week.
In fact, on an outside court, a proud mother walked up to her young son, a ball kid, during a changeover, perhaps to offer words of encouragement only to have him shoo her away by saying, “Not now mom, I’m working.”
This event has always featured a healthy mix of veteran stars, rising young talent, American pros, of course, but plenty of players from everywhere, including many French players who enjoy the relaxed vibe. Richard Gasquet was seen strolling along downtown Winston-Salem before his next match.
The tournament offers a chance for players to get extra matches in before the US Open, especially for those whose hard-court season hasn’t quite turned out how they wanted so far.
One of those is top seed Borna Coric of Croatia. Coric found himself playing under a gorgeous Carolina sunset in an evening match against Australia’s Rinky Hiijikata who is a local favorite in these parts.
Borna Coric and former UNC Chapel Hill player Rinky Hijikata playing under a stellar Carolina sunset @WSOpen #WinstonSalem pic.twitter.com/3webTI7fKz
— Erik Gudris (@ATNtennis) August 22, 2023
Why? It’s because the current World No. 111 Hijikata played college tennis down the road at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. So that’s why one could hear a smattering of “Go Heels!” shouts during the match, though, to be fair, the crowd supported both players equally.
After winning the first set, Coric found himself tested in the second set. Hijikata, keeping level with his higher-ranked opponent, earned a set point in the second set. Yet Coric saved that with some sizzling tennis. Coric eventually forced a tiebreak and then closed out the match 6-2, 7-6(2).
🇭🇷 @borna_coric defeats Rinky Hijikata 6-2 7-6 to advance in Winston-Salem 💪@WSOpen | #WSOpen pic.twitter.com/447cSejTek
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 23, 2023
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