Max Purcell and Rinky Hijikata win the Japan Open doubles title, beating top-20 stars Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the final.
Tokyo, Japan, 22 October 2023 | Rhys de Deugd
Tokyo, Japan
Max Purcell and Rinky Hijikata have made their first tournament together as a doubles pair a memorable one, claiming the ATP 500 title in Tokyo.
It was a dream debut run for the Australians, who upset third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer to reach the championship match and backed up that standout win with a dominant display in the final.
The Sydney duo defeated well-established doubles players, Great Britain’s Jamie Murray and New Zealand’s Michael Venus, 6-4 6-1 in the final.
The pair were both clinical on serve, winning 73 per cent of their second serve points, and consequently were not broken for the entire match.
🇦🇺 Aussie Aussie Aussie 🇦🇺@rinky_23 and @MaxPurcell98 defeat Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-4, 6-1 to claim the doubles crown in Tokyo.#kinoshitajotennis | @japanopentennis pic.twitter.com/DMp3V2aQNU
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 22, 2023
In only his second season on tour, the 22-year-old Hijikata has shot up the rankings in both singles and doubles, currently holding a career-high ranking for both disciplines.
The abundance of success in 2023 was kickstarted with a Grand Slam title at the Australian Open alongside fellow Aussie Jason Kubler, and he is enjoying having success with a variety of partners on tour.
“It was the first time pairing together (with Purcell) in doubles and I think we got better as the week went on,” Hijikata said.
“We enjoy playing with each other and I feel we played some really good tennis.”
For 25-year-old Purcell, this is his fourth doubles title of his career, his first on hard court, and biggest since his 2022 Wimbledon triumph with another Australian in Matt Ebden.
RESULTS
Men’s doubles, final
Max Purcell (AUS)/Rinky Hijikata (AUS) d Jamie Murray (GBR)/Michael Venus (NZL) 6-4 6-1
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