Men's singles second round
You knew the atmosphere wouldn't be lacking when Stefanos Tsitsipas faced Rinky Hijikata at AO 2023 on Wednesday night.
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Greece's Tsitsipas always receives terrific support at Melbourne Park, while Hijikata is a home wildcard hailing from Sydney.
Hijikata got the better of it on that front, but it was the higher-ranked Tsitsipas who prevailed 6-3 6-0 6-2 in the night session at Rod Laver Arena to continue his quest to reach the final in Australia, having made three previous semifinals.
"Felt good out there," Tsitsipas said afterward. "The ball was coming off the racquet really well."
The build-up
The feel-good vibes for Tsitsipas began at the United Cup, where the all-arounder went undefeated in singles as Greece reached the semifinals.
Greek flags brightened Margaret Court Arena when the third seed beat the big-serving Quentin Halys in straight sets in the first round, and the world No.4 in turn responded with fist pumps aplenty.
"I have a strong sensation whenever I'm back here, it feels like home," said Tsitsipas, who has family in Australia.
"And maybe in the future, I'm seriously thinking of maybe getting a home here one day."
At Grand Slams, Tsitsipas consistently produces his finest performances – and avoids being on the receiving end of upsets – in Melbourne.
Indeed, it has taken quite something, or someone, to beat him since his breakthrough in 2019: Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, and Daniil Medvedev twice. All were Grand Slam winners or finalists at the time.
Thus the odds swung heavily against Hijikata, a 21-year-old with ties to Japan. But he is only just at the infancy of his burgeoning career after a successful university stint at North Carolina.
Starting last year close to 400 in the rankings, bagging his first Challenger in Playford near Adelaide in October helped bump up his ranking to its current 169.
He got his feet wet at the highest level and acquitted himself well against Medvedev in Los Cabos, Nadal in the vast Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open, and Denis Shapovalov in Adelaide a few weeks ago.
Monday marked another first, playing and winning a first five-set match after trailing by two sets and nearly a break against Yannick Hanfmann.
He celebrated his maiden Slam victory by falling to the ground at Court 8 when the drama concluded after four-and-a-half hours.
Story of the match
Hijikata has said his hero is Japan's Kei Nishikori, the four-time Australian Open quarterfinalist. He possesses a similar style, liking to hold his ground on the baseline and taking the ball early.
He controlled the opening four games but missed a chance to earn two break points straight away when his smash went into the net.
Tsitsipas settled and earned the opening break for 4-2 by unleashing his powerful one-handed backhand down the line.
A defensive lob assisted Tsitsipas in breaking for 1-0 in the second set, and he immediately saved three break points with a service winner, forehand winner and forced error. A rattled Hijikata dropped serve to love for 0-3.
Things were getting away from Hijikata, although Tsitsipas waned in the third set against Halys. Would it happen again?
Nearly. Tsitsipas faced more break points but saved them with more attacking play and again, immediately struck for 3-2. From there, victory was swift.
Key stats
Tsitsipas saved all five break points faced while registering 30 winners and just 17 unforced errors.
His ability to thrive in quick-strike tennis was evidenced by winning 47 of the 71 rallies up to four shots.
What this means for Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas faces a Dutchman next, either 32nd seed Botic van de Zandschulp or Tallon Griekspoor – a first meeting against either.
MORE: AO 2023 men's singles draw
Van de Zandschulp's hefty weight of shot from the baseline can cause havoc – he was the lone player to take a set off Medvedev at the 2021 US Open – while all-arounder Griekspoor landed his first top-tier title in India in early January.
What's next for Hijikata?
Despite the loss, these are exciting times for Hijikata.
His live ranking has climbed to 144, which means he can contest more Challengers in an effort to keep the ranking rising.
Given his progression, keep an eye out for a top-100 breakthrough later in 2023.