Former UNC men’s tennis player Rinky Hijikata will compete in the semifinals of the men’s doubles draw of the Australian Open Wednesday night. The match will begin at approximately 10:30 p.m. ET.

Hijikata is a native Australian, and he and doubles partner Jason Kubler (also Australian) pulled off a major upset in the quarterfinals, defeating top seeds Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Neal Skupski of the United Kingdom. Hijikata and Kubler had no trouble with the No. 1 seed, winning in straight sets on Wednesday 6-3, 6-1.

Now, Hijikata and Kubler will face the duo of Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, in the semifinals. The men’s doubles championship is scheduled for Thursday.

Hijikata competed for the Tar Heels in 2020 and 2021 for head coach Sam Paul. This is his second appearance in the Australian Open in doubles, having reached the second round last year. Hijikata has also qualified for two consecutive Grand Slam tournaments in singles, competing in the 2022 U.S. Open in New York and reaching the second round in this year’s Australian Open. He’s currently ranked No. 277 in the world in doubles, though that is likely to change after his performance in Melbourne.

 

Featured image via ATP Tour

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