🎾 ATP London – First Round
Rinky Hijikata vs Daniel Evans
🧠 Form & Context
Rinky Hijikata- 📈 Grass sharpness: Reached Birmingham Challenger semifinal with wins over Bolt, Watanuki, and Harris (3–1 on grass in 2025).
- 🔁 Mixed year: 15–19 in 2025, with many close losses to higher-ranked players; trending upward as surfaces speed up.
- 📍 Knows the venue: Semifinalist in 2023 and first-round exit in 2024—comfortable in these surroundings.
- 👀 Motivated: Lost to Evans in Adelaide 2024 in straights—revenge potential here on his preferred surface.
- 🔄 On the comeback: Ranked outside the top 200, playing mostly Challengers and qualifiers this year with uneven results.
- 🌱 Grass comfort: Holds a 108–70 career record on grass—classic British game of slice, finesse, and strategic play.
- 🔥 Scrapped into the draw: Beat Walton and Rottgering in three-setters during qualifying—gritty, but energy could be a concern.
- 🧠 Crafty operator: Wins with touch and tactical shifts, but struggles when forced into sustained defense or long rallies.
🔍 Match Breakdown
- Hijikata’s edge is in energy and rhythm—he’s sharp and confident after a strong Challenger week, with good grass instincts.
- Evans can disrupt tempo with slice and variety, but might struggle to match Hijikata’s pace if pulled wide or rushed.
- The matchup will come down to how well Evans can control points early—if not, Hijikata’s tempo could overwhelm him.
🔮 Prediction
This is likely to be a cat-and-mouse encounter early, but Hijikata’s court coverage, confidence, and sharper baseline game should help him edge through—especially if Evans fades physically.
🧩 Prediction: Hijikata in 3 sets – Expect tactical swings, but the Aussie’s form and fitness give him the edge.
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