Australia’s Rinky Hijikata has a huge chance of causing an Aus Open upset on Thursday according to John Millman.
The 114th-ranked Aussie takes on the 30th-seeded Valentin Vacherot this morning on Show Court Arena, and while he’s the underdog, Millman loves his chances of winning.
The main reason behind Millman’s bullishness is due to Vacherot’s recent emergence, with this only the first time the Monaco native has made it to the main draw at Melbourne Park despite being aged 27.
“Hijikata has Vacherot out there and this is actually his first main draw Australian Open at the 30th seed and 27 years old, so it’s actually pretty incredible,” Millman told SEN Breakfast.
“He jumped onto the scene at the back end of last year, where he was an alternate into Qualifying, so he needed someone before Qualifying start to actually pull out of Qualifying for him to get in.
“He then went on to win the Shanghai Masters and beat guys like Novak Djokovic along the way.
“That’s how he is ranked 30 in the world after jumping onto the scene at the back end of last year.
“So, I really like Rinky’s chances here.”
For Hijikata, he’s had much more experience at his home slam, and Millman has enjoyed his summer so far, making it to the Round of 16 at both the Brisbane International and Adelaide International.
“Rinky has been incredible. He’s had a great summer,” Millman said.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but in Brisbane, he was pretty under the weather with flu-like symptoms and he managed to win matches through that time.
“Now that he’s fully fit and firing, I feel as if the sky’s the limit in this one for him because he’s been winning matches, he’s confident, and he brings a bit of variety that other guys don’t necessarily experience on a day-to-day.
“In the world of slower courts, where it’s all crash and bash, Rinky will get forward, he’ll chip charge, he’ll try to get to the net, he has a bit of an all-court game.
“So, I love the variety he brings. He loves to fight. I’m really liking Rinky’s chances here.”
