Another comeback from a set down
Rinky Hijikata has now won five matches in a row at the Paris Masters, qualifying included. The Australian beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday in the last 16, and the result puts him in the first Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career.
It followed the same script as his upset of Novak Djokovic a day earlier, a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win that ended the Serb’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals. Hijikata, ranked 83rd, lost the opening set in 26 minutes again, then found his first break points early in the second and took the Argentine’s serve in the fourth game.
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A break that did not help Etcheverry
Etcheverry, ranked 31st, tried to halt the momentum. He took a bathroom break of more than five minutes after the second set, but Hijikata stayed aggressive and edged the decider. The match lasted 2 hours 6 minutes, shorter than the Djokovic match, which means the 25-year-old Sydney native has spent less time on court than the scoreline suggests.
This was a different kind of week for Hijikata, who came through qualifying and has also beaten Darderi, the 21st-ranked player, on the way.
Musetti or Van Assche next
His quarter-final opponent will be the winner of Luca Van Assche against Lorenzo Musetti, a match that began while Hijikata was still playing the second set of his own. Whoever comes through, Hijikata will arrive as the lower-ranked player, but with five wins behind him he has earned the right to be taken seriously.
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