Australian tennis player Rinky Hijikata has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International after a hard-fought victory over American Brandon Nakashima. Despite falling in the final round of qualifying, Hijikata entered the main draw as a lucky loser and managed a dramatic three-set win, clinching the match with scores of 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5). Up next, he faces top-seed Tommy Paul, who advanced after defeating Manuel Guinard in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. While Hijikata progresses, fellow Australians Chris O’Connell and Li Tu were both eliminated in the round of 16, with O’Connell losing to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović, and Tu being defeated by French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi. In other matches, second-seeded Sebastian Korda secured his place in the quarterfinals past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Canada’s fifth-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is set to face Marcos Giron after a comeback win over Arthur Cazaux.
