Rinky Hijikata Shocks World No.4 Auger-Aliassime in US Open Upset

Rinky Hijikata walked onto the grandstand court as the underdog and started playing like he hadn’t read the script.

Up against world No.4 Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Australian was supposed to feel the weight of the occasion. Instead, it was the Canadian who blinked first after his fast start. Auger-Aliassime burst out to a 2-0 lead within minutes, ripping through the opening exchanges as if eager to stamp his authority early.

Then Hijikata settled.

Each service game, he looked composed, unhurried, almost serene. He moved sharply, chased everything, and began to turn defence into attack. Point by point, the match tilted. The early break vanished, the rallies lengthened, and the world No.4 suddenly had a problem on his hands. Hijikata surged ahead and built a 5-3 lead in the first set, his body language telling the story: this was no cameo; he was here to swing.

On the outside courts, another Australian was setting her own tone for the tournament.

Maya Joint’s statement win

Maya Joint is through to the second round, and she earned it the hard way.

The young Australian dropped the opening set 6-3 to Liudmila Samsonova after a series of bruising, extended rallies. Both women covered the court superbly, but Samsonova had the edge when it mattered, squeezing out the big points to pocket the first set.

Joint refused to fade. Backed by a crowd that grew louder with every game, she found fresh legs and a fiercer rhythm. Early in the second set she jumped to a 3-1 lead, riding the energy in the stands better than Samsonova and suddenly dictating with authority. The shift was stark. Samsonova, so assured early, began to feel the pressure as Joint’s depth and aggression pinned her back.

The second set raced away 6-2 in Joint’s favour. The third was a rout.

Joint dominated the decider, controlling the baseline, cleaning up short balls and stepping into every chance to attack. Samsonova had no answers as the Australian ran away with another 6-2 set to close out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory. When match point landed, Joint’s reaction said everything: unfiltered joy, a breakthrough moment on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

Wawrinka’s farewell and Berrettini’s edge

While Hijikata waited for his turn on the grandstand, one of the game’s greats was saying goodbye to the Grand Slam stage.

Stan Wawrinka, three-time major champion and US Open winner in 2016, bowed out in the first round in straight sets to Matteo Berrettini, 7-6, 7-6, 6-0. It was brutal on the scoreboard, but rich in emotion.

Tournament organisers rolled a career highlights video across the big screens at Flushing Meadows, a tribute to more than two decades at the top. The crowd soaked it in. Berrettini stayed on court, applauding the Swiss star he once watched as a kid winning Slams.

“It’s been more than 20 years since I first came here,” Wawrinka told the crowd, his voice catching as he spoke. He recalled arriving to play qualifying, the awe he felt, and the bond he’d built with New York over the years. One of the reasons he kept playing until 41, he admitted, was to experience nights like this.

He called it “really special” to finish his Grand Slam career at the US Open, a decade after lifting the trophy, and thanked the fans for their support “all those years.” The emotion was raw. He will leave the ATP Tour at season’s end with a career-high ranking of world No.3, three majors, and a reputation as one of the sport’s fiercest competitors.

Berrettini, who had never faced Wawrinka until this season and has now done so twice in consecutive Slams, described it as a dream to share the court with him again. For one night, the result felt secondary to the farewell.

That didn’t mean it lacked controversy.

Early in the third set, Wawrinka flicked a ball over the net in a reflex shot that appeared to involve two distinct racquet motions. Berrettini immediately challenged, arguing the Swiss had effectively hit the ball twice — illegal if it’s not one continuous swing.

“You could see his two motions,” Berrettini told the chair umpire, adamant the stroke should be called. Wawrinka, 41 and smiling through the tension, embraced him at the net as the video review team checked the footage. He even joked, “I’m 41, that’s why I am slower than you,” drawing a laugh from his opponent.

The review, played only at full speed, deemed the shot legal. Berrettini was visibly unimpressed. Australian great Jelena Dokic later pointed out that Nine’s slow-motion replays clearly showed Wawrinka had in fact hit the ball twice, siding with the Italian’s view. “The video review is not in slow motion at the US Open, which is a little bit weird,” she said, noting that at normal speed it looked clean.

Wawrinka kept the point and the advantage, but Berrettini eventually broke in that game and rolled through the set, closing the match with a 6-0 flourish.

Khachanov’s blunt verdict on Kyrgios

Away from the courts, Karen Khachanov delivered one of the most direct responses yet to Nick Kyrgios’ recent suspension.

Kyrgios revealed last month that he had tested positive to cocaine in June, accepted responsibility and confirmed he had been banned. The 31-year-old called it a “huge mistake” and said he would step away from the spotlight to work through personal issues.

Khachanov, who has faced Kyrgios on court and watched his outspoken commentary on doping over the years, did not hold back when asked at the US Open.

“Even when he wasn’t playing, he always liked to pick on someone, writing things on Twitter and so on,” Khachanov told reporters. “And now, when all that has turned against him… what do you want me to say? In the end, you reap what you sow.”

He added that he struggled to feel much pity, stressing that what Kyrgios “got caught for was ultimately his choice,” and that “it backfired on him.” It was a stark, unsentimental take from a peer who has watched the saga unfold from relatively close quarters.

Aussies everywhere as night falls

Back on court, the Australian presence at Flushing Meadows ran deep.

Alexei Popyrin found himself up against an in-form Grigor Dimitrov on the outdoor courts. Dimitrov, striking the ball cleanly from the outset, grabbed a 4-2 lead in the opening set and looked sharp, his early form matching the confidence he has carried into New York.

Maya Joint’s fightback, already complete, set a tone for the day: Australians punching above their weight, refusing to bow to reputation or ranking.

And then there was Hijikata, stepping into the spotlight on the grandstand for the first time, staring down a top-five opponent and refusing to be overawed. Auger-Aliassime’s early burst had hinted at a routine night for the Canadian.

Hijikata’s response suggested anything but. The underdog tag might linger on the scoreboard, but on this evidence, it doesn’t belong anywhere near his tennis.