Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata has threatened to pull off the upset of the year before falling to Rafael Nadal in a daring US Open debut.
Hijikata lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium with some electrifying tennis to win the opening set, but Nadal rebounded in a pulsating 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory.
Now unbeaten in 19 grand slam outings in 2022, Nadal entered the tournament under a fitness cloud after withdrawing from his scheduled Wimbledon semifinal with Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal tear.