Second seed Rafael Nadal has overcome an early scare to down Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3 in his first US Open appearance since winning in 2019.
Playing only his second match since pulling out of Wimbledon with an abdominal injury, the Spaniard had speculated whether he was ready to take on New York and seemed to confirm those fears, as he struggled on the return in the first set.
Incredibly, Hijikata broke the 22-time Major winner with a crisp overhead shot in the seventh game of his Grand Slam debut, but Goliath got the momentum over David under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, as the fighter Nadal charged through the first three games of the second set.
Nadal improved in virtually every respect, as his opponent's form deteriorated, dropping just one of his first-serve points with few mistakes, as Hijikata racked up a dozen unforced errors and dropped his serve in the final game.
Thriving on familiar territory, four-time Flushing Meadows winner Nadal never faced a break in the third set and broke Hijikata to love in the fifth game of the final set, before recovering from 0-40 in the eighth to hold his own serve.
Hijikata gave the rowdy New York crowd a final thrill, as he defended four matchpoints in the ninth, before succumbing to Nadal's vicious forehand winner.
"Long wait - for some time I thought that maybe I will not be able to be back," Nadal said. "The night sessions here in New York are the best without a doubt."
Reuters
