Rising Australian players Rinky Hijikata and Jaimee Fourlis will make their US Open main draw singles debuts this year.
New York, USA, 18 August 2022 | tennis.com.au
Rinky Hijikata and Jaimee Fourlis are set to make their US Open main draw debuts after receiving wildcards for the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.
The 21-year-old Hijikata is enjoying a breakout season and currently sits at a career-high ranking of No.199. The Sydney talent scored his first ATP main draw win at Los Cabos earlier this month, then put up an impressive challenge against world No.1 and reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
It was the second ATP tournament Hijikata had qualified for this season, matching his effort at the Melbourne Summer Set in January where he recorded a career-first top-100 win to earn his tour-level main draw debut.
Hijikata is excited to now add a maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance, a feat he almost achieved at Wimbledon with a final qualifying round run, to his growing list of 2022 accomplishments.
“I’m really pumped and couldn’t believe it at first, it’s a dream come true to play the main draw of a Slam and I’m so thankful for this opportunity,” Hijikata said when told he’d been awarded the wildcard.
“This is the first time I will have played in New York since playing in the juniors in 2019, so it gives me a bit of comfort knowing I’ve played on those courts before, in those conditions. And New York in general has such a good buzz around the city, it’s a great place and because I was at college, I feel like it’s kind of my second home.
“It’s also great to know that all my hard work has been paying off, and this really validates all the work I’ve put in. I’ve played a lot of matches, a lot of tournaments, travelled to a lot of countries and it’s been a bit of a grind, so being awarded a wildcard makes it all 100 per cent worth it.”
Thiem time ⏰
Former champion @domithiem headlines our 2022 men’s singles wild cards.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 17, 2022
Fourlis has built a 42-18 win-loss record this season and impressively won 21 of her past 27 matches. This includes a successful qualifying campaign at Wimbledon and three finals appearances at ITF level.
This striking form has seen the 22-year-old from Melbourne improve her ranking more than 180 places since January, skyrocketing to a career-high No.147 last month.
Fourlis, who underwent a shoulder…
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