Australia keep their Davis Cup quarterfinals hopes alive after Jordan Thompson and Rinky Hijikata won the opening rubber on Sunday.
Sydney, Australia, 14 September 2025 | AAP
Rinky Hijikata has made a triumphant Davis Cup debut to help keep the Culture Amp Australia Davis Cup team in their Qualifier 2nd Round tie against Belgium in Sydney.
Hijikata and fellow Sydneysider Jordan Thompson recovered from the brink to pull off a tense 7-6(7) 6-3 6-4 victory over Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen on Sunday to peg Australia’s deficit back to 2-1.
READ: Australia keeps hopes high ahead of tie-defining Sunday
World No.8 Alex de Minaur must beat the 46th-ranked Zizou Bergs in the first reverse singles rubber to give Thompson a shot of steering Australia home from 2-0 down for only the third time in history, when he faces Raphael Collignon in the potentially deciding match.
Thompson and Hijikata rallied back from a set behind and three break points down at love-40 at 3-3 in the second to save the tie.
The Australian pairing drew a standing ovation from the packed crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena after conjuring their mighty comeback.
Runners-up in 2022 and 2023 and semifinalists last year, Australia are bidding to reach the Davis Cup quarterfinals for a fourth-straight campaign.
The Belgian doubles duo were nigh on impenetrable on serve in the opening set against Thompson and Hijikata, barely dropping a point on serve.
The 2025 Wimbledon men’s doubles finalist rose to the challenge in the first-set tiebreak, firing a booming forehand return down the line to give Australia four set points in the tiebreak.
OFFICIAL PROGRAM: DAVIS CUP 2025 QUALIFIERS 2ND ROUND
Alas, Hijikata and Thompson were unable to convert from 6-2 up as Belgium snatched the set.
The home team had their backs against the wall in the second set, when Hijikata fell love-40 down serving at 3-3, but staved off four break points to stay in the match – and the tie.
Riding the momentum shift, the Australians broke the Belgians for the first time in the next game to storm to a 5-3 lead as both stars nailed groundstroke winners after some pulsating rallies.
In a match full of twists and turns, Thompson fended off two break points before Hijikata finally put Australia back on level terms with a piercing forehand volley on their fourth set point.
Thompson fell to the court, such was the ferocity of a forehand that drew the Belgian error for Australia to seize the decisive break in the third game of the deciding set.
He was quickly up, chest-bumping and sprinting to the changeover in delight.
Two more service holds each from Thompson and Hijikata were enough as Australia finally prevailed after two hours and 24 minutes of tense action.
Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to hit the court and have some fun!
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