Classy Nadal act for Aussie young gun

Short of winning the match, Rinky Hijikata could not have done much more to earn the respect of the tennis world on his grand slam debut.

The 21-year-old from Sydney took the first set off 22-time slam champion Rafael Nadal, before bravely going down in four sets 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The US Open crowd gave the young Aussie a standing ovation as he left the court, for providing them with more than three hours of thrilling action against the legendary Spaniard.

And in a sign of how impressive his major debut was, even Nadal applauded the young gun off the court, a show of great respect from the tour veteran.

“The former champ had to play some of his best tennis… it took a forehand of that magnitude to finish the match off for Nadal,” Australian great Todd Woodbridge said of the Nadal match winner, which was a monster forehand slap down the line past Hijikata.

“A marvellous effort from the 21-year-old from Sydney.”

Fellow tennis legend Jelena Dokic is convinced Hijikata is going to fight his way to the top of the sport in coming years.

“A great first set, but that fourth set was actually closer than the scoreline shows,” Dokic said.

“(Hijikata has) showed what he’s made of, so much to build on here to try get into the top 100.

“I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him, so much to be proud of.”

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