Rinky Hijikata

Rinky Hijikata was born on February 23, 2001, in Sydney, Australia, to Japanese immigrant parents. He began playing tennis at the age of three or four, developing his skills early. He attended The King’s School in Sydney from 2013 to 2016. Hijikata then pursued a college tennis career at the University of North Carolina from 2019 to 2021, playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s tennis team.

Hijikata turned professional in 2021. He made his ATP Tour debut in January 2022 at the Melbourne Summer Set 1, where he recorded his first top 100 win. In August 2022, he made his Grand Slam debut at the US Open as a wildcard. He secured his maiden Challenger title in Playford, Australia, in October 2022, becoming the youngest Australian since Alexei Popyrin in 2018 to achieve this feat. This achievement advanced him to world No. 159.

A significant milestone in Hijikata’s career occurred in January 2023 when he, partnering with Jason Kubler, won the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open. The pair defeated three seeded teams, including the world No. 1 duo, en route to their championship. In the same year, he reached his first ATP tour-level singles semifinal at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships. He continued to progress in singles, reaching the fourth round of the 2023 US Open and making his top 100 debut at world No. 82 in September 2023. In October 2023, he won his second doubles title with Max Purcell at the Japan Open Tennis Championships, reaching the top 25 in doubles rankings. In 2025, he reached the Wimbledon men’s doubles final with David Pel.