PARIS – Rinky Hijikata took the final point away from Novak Djokovic rather than waiting for a mistake. Attacking a second serve, the Australian drove another forehand winner past the seven-time Paris champion and ended Djokovic’s pursuit of a place at the ATP Finals.
The qualifier, ranked No. 83, recovered from a difficult opening set to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday. It was his first victory over Djokovic in three meetings and made him the lowest-ranked player to defeat the Serbian this season.
Djokovic had needed to reach the semifinals to keep his qualification hopes alive. Instead, a tournament he has won more often than anyone else became the end of his attempt to secure a record 19th appearance at the season-ending championship in Turin.
Hijikata’s winning shot was his 29th forehand winner, the ATP’s match report recorded. The number captures how he changed the contest: after struggling to stay with Djokovic early, he increasingly made the rallies depend on his own attacking decisions.
“He was playing too good for me for the first set and a little bit,” Hijikata said. He described his task as trying to “hang tough” and maintain his level, a modest account of a performance that ultimately forced the 24-time major champion to respond to him.
There had been doubt that Hijikata would even play. Tennis Australia reported that he had been dealing with a neck issue after his previous victory. He said he was initially happy simply to get onto the court, before finding the level that carried him through the deciding set.
The forehand supplied the spectacle, but the pressure points kept him in the match. Hijikata saved nine of the 11 break points he faced and broke Djokovic three times, Tennis Australia’s account noted. He also came forward to the net 20 times, giving Djokovic something other than baseline exchanges to solve.
That matters because a comeback scoreline can obscure the way a player wins. Hijikata did not merely survive Djokovic’s early advantage. The decisive adjustment was to continue taking the initiative when the score tightened, rather than allow pressure to make him conservative.
“The last few months, I’ve maybe gotten a little bit passive under pressure, but this week I’ve done a good job of sticking to my game and staying aggressive,” he said. It was an explanation consistent with both the repeated forehand attacks and his final return winner.
The result carries different meanings for reputation and ranking. Beating Djokovic is among Hijikata’s most significant achievements, but it was not his highest-ranked victory. Djokovic entered at No. 11; Hijikata had beaten No. 10 Alexander Bublik at Indian Wells earlier in the year. This was his fourth career win over a top-20 opponent.
It also extends a season of progress at Masters 1000 level. Hijikata reached the fourth round at Indian Wells and the third round in Cincinnati. After being ranked 106th in mid-June, he rose to No. 71 in the live rankings following Wednesday’s win, approaching his career high of No. 62. Live rankings remain provisional until the official list is published.
His next opponent is Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who beat fellow Australian Alex de Minaur 7-6(2), 6-3. Etcheverry won his only previous meeting with Hijikata, in Hangzhou last year. A victory would take the 25-year-old Australian into his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
For Djokovic, the immediate consequence is settled: the Paris exit removes him from the Turin qualification race. With two Finals places still available, the ATP identified Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul among the players whose opportunities remained open.
Hijikata’s own Paris run is not finished. He leaves the Djokovic match with a four-match winning streak and another opponent who has beaten him before, but also with a specific answer to the pressure that had troubled him in recent months: keep attacking, even when the player across the net has won this title seven times.
