On a cool afternoon in Playford, the crowd had just begun to settle into the rhythm of an all-Australian QF showdown when an unexpected twist sent a ripple of concern across the tennis court. Rinky Hijikata, the 24-year-old rising star known for his grit and relentless baseline work, suddenly paused mid-rally, grimacing as he looked down at his left knee.

A scrape – small but deep enough – had broken the skin. Blood began to trickle, and within moments, what had been a tense first-set battle came to an abrupt standstill. At 3-4, 15-15 on James McCabe’s serve, the chair umpire signaled a Medical Time Out (MTO) as the medical team rushed in to assess the injury.

For a player like Hijikata, whose game thrives on explosive movement and low-court coverage, a bleeding knee was more than just a stinging inconvenience. As he sat courtside, the medical team carefully cleaned the area, applying pressure to stop the bleeding and dressing the scrape while fans watched in quiet anticipation. 

With the knee patched up, Hijikata returned to the baseline, ready to resume the dogfight. But the drama of the day wasn’t finished. Just when the match regained its rhythm, clouds that had been quietly looming overhead finally made their move. A drizzle became a downpour, and the umpire – after a few glances at an increasingly soaked court – called for play to be suspended.

The QF is now halted for a second time, this time by forces entirely out of the players’ control. With a score of 7-6(2), 3-0 in favor of Hijikata, both Aussies will have to wait out the weather and the tension until the Playford skies could clear enough for the battle to resume. This match at the Challenger Playford, AU, marks the fourth meeting between these two tennis stars (also the third faceoff in 2025).

Currently, James McCabe leads the H2H record by 2-1. However, Hijikata maintains the lead currently on-court. Can he put things on level terms with his compatriot in the H2H sheet?

Time will tell! For now, let’s recap how Rinky Hijikata has fared overall this season.

Tennis star Rinky Hijikata has his sights set high

Rinky Hijikata has always carried himself with the quiet determination of someone who knows there’s more inside him – more to show, more to prove, more to achieve. For years, fans have watched him dart around the court with that trademark grit, often shining brightest in the pressure-cooker moments in doubles. But as 2025 rolls on, the 24-year-old Aussie has begun rewriting his own script.

He’s currently ranked 125th in singles, and 58th in doubles. His best record at the majors in singles was reaching the fourth round of the US Open in 2023. In doubles, he is already a Grand Slam champion! He won the doubles title at the 2023 AO alongside his compatriot Jason Kubler.

In an odd coincidence, both Hijikata and Kubler have now suffered a painful blow at Playford this year! In 2025, he reached the finals of Wimbledon with the Dutchman David Pel, but their “incredible story” ended with a defeat against Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.

In October 2025, during a conversation on The Sit-Down podcast, Rinky Hijikata spoke about his tennis goals. After having already tasted success in doubles, he now wants to repeat similar feats in singles as well. 

“I guess my dream’s kind of always been to play in those matches, in the singles court on those big courts against the best players in the world. That’s what I’ve always dreamt of doing.”

He struggled a bit with an abdominal injury after the Wimbledon Championships. Injuries have been a serious hindrance to his tennis career at times. So, other than setting up big goals in singles, he also added a few other things that he wants to work on for better results.

“I definitely want to make sure I’m healthy first and foremost. I feel like that’s probably the most important thing, and then I just keep trying to do whatever I can to improve and maximize my tennis career.”

What are your thoughts on this young Aussie tennis star? Do you think he has real potential to excel at the highest level? Share your thoughts in a comment.