Rafael Nadal Defeats Australian Wildcard Rinky Hijikata

After losing the first set, Rafael Nadal recovered to beat Rinky Hijikikata in the No. 2 seed's opening match at the US Open.

Rafael Nadal

[{"selector":"#anim-390b2793-18d2-4db5-95c3-cc03272fe6f1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":50,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2dcdbc43-3ab5-4a10-b4b9-7f30e4209d1f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(1921.05277%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":50,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c291425a-f8af-4eaa-9067-2cd048238295","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ec6d4ad1-4803-41cc-9c98-545aac58e382","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f17cd116-ecb9-486a-abf6-33545fb9ffd4","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-113.39286%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6e418192-054c-4017-826a-784b7cb7d0f7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6f48e8d9-52be-4b2e-87e9-22175b0f72ac","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-121.84466%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

[{"selector":"#anim-add6af8b-92d9-4e2d-b3c6-3beca138d0d7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d5bd7362-2a2a-4666-8ded-33b7fc12a3e3","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-2deg) translate3d(0px, -125.46406%, 0) rotate(2deg)","rotate(-2deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(2deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9b9ef289-d929-4c2c-bd17-1f5309b40c09","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-000306e9-09cb-4290-a35e-d393f1ade9ca","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-2deg) translate3d(0px, 282.15497%, 0) rotate(2deg)","rotate(-2deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(2deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93851a8d-5348-490f-88ab-d92d8751de5c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] After a slow start, he quickly recovered to beat Rinky Hijikata of Australia 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, and 6-3. Yellow Instagram Yellow Heart

[{"selector":"#anim-ec23e4c8-0e08-4a8c-ae00-c4419a91bdc6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c4c7bd7c-17e8-4735-9189-6a542daf428e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(68.63296%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ecfa33eb-abe1-4a4d-8efa-7fa929317da4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-18101236-0e36-4ffb-b463-5e42f16e8d30","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c71ed039-5526-4a37-b7bd-2934825125d7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e03b3705-0f91-4777-b464-233149d0d639","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d409f673-5c35-493b-95ab-4ba627d11c56","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 192.49636%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Nadal, 36-year-old spanish star chasing a 23rd Grand Slam title will face Fabio Fognini in his next match White Frame Corner

[{"selector":"#anim-1a42fc6f-d8b2-47c5-82d4-c0e844f23238","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f90b87a9-96fa-48ca-8b80-189c680c33af","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-100%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e16ac826-a47a-4783-a28c-f50c73be8a93","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-eeac4714-7ead-48ad-8f60-bbc7713429e6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-105.45977%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ce7ab6c2-664d-433d-9b17-3fe019eff2ba","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7bb97c36-6589-46ae-87c2-00b656b9b10f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(79.31571%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Nadal has a career advantage of 13-4 over the Italian player Fognini, but Fabio famously defeated Nadal in the third round of the US Open in 2015.

[{"selector":"#anim-88c4d7dc-bc05-4e47-bb77-7197c6cab2f0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-038a041b-70c6-4659-a896-9e1ce90e58f1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -103.71803%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b5fe69a2-9403-4f00-917e-5827aa973140","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5a8871bd-4451-4846-a14a-615eb528e8a1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(109.22190%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Rafel Nadal was ranked world No.1 for 209 weeks and has won 14 French Open titles and 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, which is an all-time record.

The last time Nadal played on Arthur Ashe stadium in 2019, Nadal defeated Daniil Mevedev in five sets to clinch his fourth US Open crown.

[{"selector":"#anim-807b518b-8a28-48a5-abf9-5f286edd7161","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c188afce-0351-4be9-be71-551f07788101","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -1023.31511%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-caf5977a-d690-49a1-8b59-fcd88943ff53","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dee86026-a9af-4a96-b92a-3443fa369aad","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-577dea68-91f1-4dd1-baa9-e02d684f34d9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-113.45566%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

[{"selector":"#anim-cf42e05f-a8cf-4a1c-937a-82ea3c70a33c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7e1924c2-47f3-4f73-94bc-f6c3fa349db6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-70f737db-b13d-4617-b339-8d661472a5bd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(86.52482%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-11603c4c-a734-4213-8b8d-1954c3d9642c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d5787ba0-5e6b-4c4c-9e21-8e5b9094ba40","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 152.56709%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6f36f190-62fb-4c83-8a51-c63718c5260b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6613cf4b-9ec6-4ac6-9040-a1a1b7630473","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-183.92861%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] "Very happy, it's been a long wait," "I felt that maybe I wouldn't be back here again... so, thank you everyone." Nadal said, after winning his first match in this tournament since 2019. White Bag

After losing the first set, Rafael Nadal recovered to beat Rinky Hijikikata in the No. 2 seed's opening match at the US Open.

Rafael Nadal

took to the US Open court after 3 years recovering from abdominal injury on Tuesday, his first since winning the tournament in 2019.

The last time Nadal played on Arthur Ashe stadium in 2019, Nadal defeated Daniil Mevedev in five sets to clinch his fourth US Open crown.