US Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata Live Stream, Match Timings, Prediction, and Preview

US Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata Live Stream, Match Timings, Prediction, and Preview

Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata

4-time US Open champion Rafael Nadal will be up against Rinky Hijikata in the first round of the 2022 US Open. Nadal is ranked 3rd in the world while Hijikata is the World No.198.

Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata: Match Details

  • Tournament: US Open 2022
  • Match: Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata
  • Round: First Round
  • Date: 30th August 2022
  • Venue: New York, United States
  • Surface: Hard
  • Prize Money: $80,000

Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata: Preview

Rinky Hijikata
Rinky Hijikata

Rafael Nadal had an amazing start to the season where he won three back-to-back titles which included the Australian Open. He then reached the Indian Wells Masters final but got himself injured and was ruled out for a month. He had to miss the first half of the clay season but made amends by winning a historic 14th Roland Garros title. He then underwent a foot treatment and then had a good outing at Wimbledon until he got himself injured once again and had to withdraw before the semifinal. He returned to action at the Toronto Masters but lost the opening match to Borna Coric.

21-year-old Rinky Hijikata is yet to breakout on the ATP tour but is a consistent performer on the ITF circuit and the Challenger circuit. He didn’t manage to qualify for the Australian Open main draw earlier this year and then had a runner-up finish at the M15 Dominican Republic 02A event. He followed it up by winning two back-to-back titles- ITF USA F5 and ITF USA F6. He then reached the semifinal of the Morelos Open but once again couldn’t make it to the main draw in Wimbledon. In the North American hard court swing, he made it to the Round of 16 where he lost to Daniil Medvedev. Ahead of the US Open, he reached the final of the ITF USA F27 event.

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Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata: Prediction

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Nadal will be the overwhelming favorite to win the match despite having no match practice under his belt. He hasn’t won a match since the Wimbledon quarterfinal and will be rusty for the opening few matches at Flushing Meadows. But Hijikata too will be playing at such a big stage for the first time and hasn’t had any big result to back his claim of beating Nadal. Expect an easy outing for Nadal in the US Open opener.

Prediction: Nadal to win in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata: Broadcast and Live Stream Details

  • USA – ESPN
  • United Kingdom – Amazon Prime Video
  • Canada – TSN, RDS
  • India – Sony six, Sony Ten 2
  • China – Iqiyi & CCTV
  • Australia – Fox Sports & SBS
  • Middle East and North Africa – beIN Sports
  • France, Italy, Germany – Eurosport
  • Japan – WOWOW

Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata: Match Timings

  • Melbourne– 9:00 AM (31/08/2022)
  • Paris– 1:00 AM (31/08/2022)
  • London– 12:00 AM (31/08/2022)
  • New York– 7:00 PM
  • Toronto– 7:00 PM
  • India– 4:30 AM (31/08/2022)

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