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

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Tennis Wins, Men Lose in 1st Round of NCAA Tournament
The No. 4 overall seed UNC women’s tennis team cruised in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, defeating Navy 4-0. A pair of 6-1 wins in doubles secured the early 1-0 advantage for Carolina, and the team was just as dominant in singles. Tar […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams Both Earn NCAA Tournament Bids
The UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will each go dancing this spring, as both Tar Heel sides earned bids to the NCAA Tournament on Monday. The women, having earned an automatic bid by virtue of winning the ACC Tournament title, are the No. 4 overall seed in the field and will host Navy in […]
Chansky's Notebook: Common Denominator
It is no coincidence that two terrific UNC programs used their new home facilities to recruit great players and win trophies.
'We're Gonna Build It the Right Way': New UNC Tennis Center Ready For NCAA Action
UNC's new outdoor facility, the Chewning Tennis Center, appears to have everything a collegiate tennis program would want.
UNC Tennis Teams Earn National Seeds in NCAA Championships; Several Individuals Also Qualify
The UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will both compete in their respective NCAA Championships this month, and both will do so with a national seed. The women’s program earned the No. 1 overall seed for the third season in a row, while the men earned the No. 16 overall seed. The women’s program enters […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams Headed to ITA National Championships
Both the UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams won their respective ITA Kickoff events in Chapel Hill over the weekend, meaning both have earned a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February. The women’s team, still undefeated on the season and ranked No. 2 in the ITA poll, easily defeated Maryland on […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Polls
The defending national champions are still No. 1. The UNC women’s lacrosse team received the top spot in the Nike/USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse preseason polls. Carolina is coming off an undefeated 2022 season which ended in a national championship. Picking up right where we left off. 📰 » https://t.co/3apzZtndHv pic.twitter.com/a4ZSYsBKCN — UNC Women's Lacrosse […]
Rinky Hijikata Wins Men's Doubles Title at Australian Open
Rinky Hijikata, who played for the UNC men’s tennis team in 2020 and 2021, won the men’s doubles title with partner Jason Kubler at the Australian Open on Saturday. As far as championship points go… This is incredible. 🏆@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/0USwVY9MhI — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, […]
Two UNC Men's Tennis Alumni Set to Compete in Doubles At Wimbledon
A pair of Tar Heels will be playing in one of tennis’ most hallowed events. William Blumberg and Nicholas Monroe are part of two separate doubles teams which will compete at Wimbledon this week. The gentlemen’s doubles portion of the tournament is set to begin Thursday. Monroe played at UNC from 2001 through 2004, winning […]
Eight UNC Tennis Players Named to All-ACC Teams
Five members of the UNC women’s tennis team and three members of the men’s team were named to the 2022 All-ACC teams Thursday. On the women’s side, Cameron Morra was named to the first team, while Elizabeth Scotty, Carson Tanguilig, Reilly Tran and Fiona Crawley were each named to the second team. On the men’s […]
›