After nabbing the first set against Rafael Nadal, young Aussie Rinky Hijikata clearly won the tennis legend's respect. WWOS
Hijikata was rewarded for some aggressive play at the net with his serve and volley game putting his opponent to the test.Hijikata did not go down without a fight, especially in the final set, with the Aussie holding three break points to level at 4-all but Nadal somehow mustered the energy to fight back, in an eighth game that went for almost 10 minutes.
The next game went even longer as the Aussie saved five match points before Nadal eventually powered home. The Spaniard's health was a key storyline going into the tournament, playing sparingly since returning from an abdominal tear that forced him out of Wimbledon, the day before his scheduled semi-final against Nick Kyrgios.
"It's about being humble enough to accept the process, to build the positive things day after day," he said afterwards, referencing the fact that he'd only played one match before today since Wimbledon. He remains undefeated at grand slams this year, but said that the decision to pull out of Wimbledon was worse than any loss."I'm having an amazing year in terms of results but in the same moment I'm having a tough year because I went through the rib and I went through the foot and then the ab.