Rinky Hijikata has enjoyed another landmark moment in his impressive 2023 season, earning his first victory over a top-50 opponent to progress at the Shanghai Masters.
The Sydneysider, who started the season by reaching the men's doubles final at the Australian Open and has soared from 164 to 75 in the singles rankings over the year, was left celebrating a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 win over tough Serbian Laslo Djere on Thursday.
Hijikata, buoyed by recently having reached the last-16 at the US Open, had to qualify for the prestigious ATP 1000 event but has made such good progress that he's now poised to break into the top-70 for the first time next week.
