Rafael Nadal lifted the US Open trophy in 2019, but has since been unable to return to New York, pulling out of the event the following season due to the raging coronavirus pandemic, and subsequently suffering from his chronic foot injury and having to miss the second consecutive edition of the last “major” tournament of the season. However, the wait is over and Rafa returned to the Arthur Ashe court to open the evening’s program.
His opponent was the Australian qualifier Rinki Hijikata, who made his debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam competition. However, the 21-year-old player showed no concern from his illustrious opponent and was a completely equal opponent for large periods of the match, but in the end the former champion did not spring a surprise to prevail 4:6 6:2 6:3 6:3.
Spain’s 22-time Grand Slam champion was stunned when his 21-year-old opponent, ranked 198 in the world, took the first set at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But Nadal, 36, recovered to secure a 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3 victory in New York.
Earlier, compatriot Carlos Alcaraz advanced after Argentina’s Sebastian Baez was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Contesting his first US Open match since beating Daniil Medvedev in five sets to win the 2019 tournament, Nadal fell behind when top seed Hijikata won the only break opportunity in the first set.
The world number three was limited to just one hard-court outing after pulling out of his Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal injury in July, losing in three sets to Borna Coric at the Cincinnati Masters.
But he was able to regain order, turning the match in his favour, before eventually ending his opponent’s fierce resistance in the fourth with a fine forehand down the line on his fifth match point.
Hijikata received a standing ovation for his efforts as Nadal’s bid for a record-extending 23rd major men’s singles title began.
The 21-year-old Hijikata surprised Nazal with an excellent game in the first set. He broke through and led with 5:3, and then consolidated his good game – 6:4. Nadal started the match very unconvincingly and hit a bunch of returns directly into the net. The Spaniard constantly entered into conversations with his coach Carlos Moya and felt a visible insecurity on the court, while the outsider impressed with his lightning movement on the court and often managed to dictate the pace of the game. All this helped the world number 198 to break for a 5:3 lead and suddenly the opening part went to Hijikata’s account.
The 21-year-old talent felt the power of Nadal in the next three sets. The Spaniard picked up the pace and left no doubts about his superiority. He won all of his serves and recorded several breaks that easily won every single set.
In the second part, however, Nadal transformed. He made an early break, took a 3-0 lead and looked like he was going to tie the sets. As it happened – 6:2 in his favor. Matadora’s reaction was instant, as the second set began with a lightning break in his favor. The Aussie didn’t lower his level in any way and was excellent in the rallies, only he had a very different version of the 23-time Slam champion against him and it wasn’t long before the aggregate was level. The second seed took a break lead in the next two parts as well, during which he set too high a pace for the qualifier and the outcome of the match was seemingly predetermined. Nadal played at higher speeds in the second set and quickly took a 3-0 lead. Matadora dictated the events on the court and with another break managed to level the scores in sets.
The third part was no different. Hijikata had a hard time finding an answer to the aggressive play of Nadal, who once again secured an early break and calmly closed the set with 6:3. In the third set, the Spaniard increased the intensity of his game and surprised Hijikata with several wonderful exits at the net. Rafa accumulated another solid lead of 4:1. After that, Nadal did not allow a break, which was enough to pull ahead in the result with a 2:1 set. Still, the Australian didn’t give up and got three break points in a row in the eighth game of the fourth set, but the forehand of the manakorek worked and there was no surprise
In the fourth set, the key moment was at 4:3 in favor of Nadal. Then his opponent missed three consecutive opportunities to return the break. The ninth game was also highly contested and the Australian saved four match points, but in the end Nadal’s experience told and he ended the dispute after just over 3 hours of play. Hijikata subsequently saved four match points, but in the end Rafa put an end to the dispute with a famous passing forehand down the forehand.
Matadora’s next opponent was Fabio Fognini, who eliminated Aslan Karatsev.
“The atmosphere was amazing. The evening sessions in New York are the best. A year ago I thought I would never have the chance to play the US Open again, so I’m very happy to be here again.
I’m not at my best and that’s perfectly normal given the fact that they’ve only played one game in the last 50 days. I have to be humble enough to accept that this will be a long and difficult process. However, I was able to prevail in a three-hour match against a tough opponent and that makes me optimistic for the next fight,” said the 36-year-old veteran, who is currently No. 3 in the world rankings, after the match.
With no ranking points to defend in New York, Nadal was the best-placed of the four players who could finish the tournament as the world’s top-ranked men’s player.
After his success over the Italian, Matadora was extremely self-critical and did not hide his dissatisfaction with the demonstrated game despite the victory. The Manacor also showed a sense of humor after joking about the moment during the fourth set when, in an attempt to reach the ball, Nadal hit his racket on the ground and it ricocheted and hit him in the nose.