US Open: Grigor Dimitrov ousts Hijikata to reach third round

NEW YORK: Ninth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria overcame Australian Rinky Hijikata in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, 7-6(4), in a men's singles second-round clash on Day 3 at the 2024 US Open here on Wednesday.

Dimitrov, the 33-year-old from Bulgaria, immediately dominated the first game and did not concede any points to the No. 62-ranked Hijikata. He took game one in a brisk three minutes, setting the pace early on. He controlled the match with deep shots to keep Hijikata at the baseline with little opportunity to approach the net.

The 23-year-old Hijikata ranked No. 62 in the ATP Rankings, traded advantages with the Bulgarian in game two, but two unforced errors closed the game and gave Dimitrov the first break of the set. Just when it seemed Hijikata was primed to push a winner at Dimitrov, he couldn’t close and struck the balls into the net, posting 11 unforced errors in the first set.

Dimitrov’s momentum continued, and he easily took the first two sets from Hijikata and only dropped two games in the process. But Hijikata did not surrender so easily. He came back in the third set, managing to push Dimitrov to a tiebreak. Dimitrov was first up to the line and relied on his lethal serve to quickly go up 2-0. Hijikata, the comeback competitor that he is, battled back, and it took Dimitrov six match points before finally taking the victory.

Dimitrov will next face either Argentina’s Sebastian Baez or Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, his fourth and final Round 3 appearance at a Slam this year.

The year 2024 has been a building season for the veteran player, who reached a career-high rank of No. 3 in 2017, but in the years since has seen a steady descent in the ranks. In April this year, Dimitrov was back in the Top 10 for the first time in six years after a deep run in Miami before falling to Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the final.

He would be hoping to prolong his stay in New York into next week and build on the momentum he has gained so far this year.