Former University of North Carolina All-America Rinky Hijikata won his first-round match on Monday at the 2023 US Open the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.
Hijikata, a Tar Heel All-America as a sophomore in 2021 before turning professional, was a wildcard entry into the main draw and has a career-best ranking of #110 in the world. In a draining match that lasted nearly four hours, he beat Russian Pavel Kotov in four sets, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.
The victory was Hijikata's first Grand Slam singles win outside of his native Australia.