But hijikata

Australian Rinky Hijikata: Ninth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria overcame Australian Rinky Hijikata in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, 7-6(4), in a men's singles second-round clash on Day 3 at the 2024 US Open here on Wednesday.

Dimitrov, the 33-year-old from Bulgaria, immediately dominated the first game and did not concede any points to the No. 62-ranked Hijikata. He took game one in a brisk three minutes, setting the pace early on. He controlled the match with deep shots to keep Hijikata at the baseline with little opportunity to approach the net.

The 23-year-old Hijikata ranked No. 62 in the ATP Rankings, traded advantages with the Bulgarian in game two, but two unforced errors closed the game and gave Dimitrov the first break of the set. Just when it seemed Hijikata was primed to push a winner at Dimitrov, he couldn’t close and struck the balls into the net, posting 11 unforced errors in the first set.