Australians Rinky Hijikata and Alexei Popyrin full profitable qualifying campaigns at an ATP 500 grass-court event in London.
London, Nice Britain, 17 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Queen’s Membership, Nice Britain
Rinky Hijikata and Alexei Popyrin have boosted the variety of Australians within the males’s singles draw at an ATP 500 event in London this week to 4.
Hijikata secured his spot within the main-draw on the prestigious grass-court occasion with a 7-5 6-3 victory towards world No.67 Arthur Rinderknech within the closing qualifying spherical.
That is 23-year-old Hijikata’s greatest grass-court win and units up a first-round assembly with American Frances Tiafoe.
Alexei Popyrin scored two wins in a day to qualify, with the top-seeded Australian powering previous each Finland’s Otto Virtanen and American Mackenzie McDonald in straight units.
The world No.49 now faces British favorite Andy Murray, a five-time champion on the event, within the opening spherical.
Hijikata and Popyrin be a part of compatriots Alex de Minaur, a finalist at Queen’s Membership final yr, and Jordan Thompson in the primary draw.
Aussies in motion – Queen’s Membership
RESULTS
Males’s qualifying singles, first spherical
[1] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) d [Alt] Otto Virtanen (FIN) 6-4 6-4
[2] Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard (FRA) d Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) 6-3 3-6 6-3
Males’s qualifying singles, closing spherical
[1] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) d [5] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 6-3 6-4
[7] Rinky Hijikata (AUS) d [3] Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) 7-5 6-3
Taro Daniel (JPN) d Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) walkover
COMING UP
Males’s singles, first spherical
[2] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v [7] Holger Rune (DEN)
[Q] Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v Frances Tiafoe (USA)
[Q] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v [WC] Andy Murray (GBR)
Males’s qualifying doubles, first spherical
[1] John Friends (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Julian Money (GBR)/Robert Galloway (USA)
[WC] Rinky Hijikata (AUS)/Henry Patten (GBR) v [2] Alexander Erler (AUT)/Lucas Miedler (AUT)
Males’s doubles, first spherical
[1] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) v Qualifier
Alex de Minaur (AUS)/Sebastian Korda (USA) v [2] Rajeev Ram (USA)/Joe Salisbury (GBR)
Halle, Germany
Two Australians – James Duckworth and Max Purcell – have certified at an ATP 500 grass-court event in Halle.
The 32-year-old Duckworth scored a powerful 6-1 7-6(5) victory towards world No.56 Corentin Moutet within the closing qualifying spherical. This units up a first-round assembly with 17-year-old Brazilian wildcard Joao Fonseca.
The 26-year-old Purcell additionally impressed within the closing qualifying spherical, posting a 6-4 6-4 win towards Roberto Bautista Agut. The Spanish veteran has been ranked as excessive as world No.9 and was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2019.
Purcell’s reward is an opening-round showdown with world No.17 Alexander Bublik, the defending champion on the event.
Aussies in motion – Halle
RESULTS
Males’s qualifying singles, closing spherical
James Duckworth (AUS) d [1] Corentin Moutet (FRA) 6-1 7-6(5)
Max Purcell (AUS) d [5] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 6-4 6-4
COMING UP
Males’s singles, first spherical
[Q] Max Purcell (AUS) v [7] Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
[Q] James Duckworth (AUS) v [WC] Joao Fonseca (BRA)
Birmingham, Nice Britain
Ajla Tomljanovic is about to compete at a WTA 250 event in Birmingham this week.
The 31-year-old Australian has gained 15 of her previous 20 grass-court matches, offering invaluable confidence forward of a first-round singles conflict with world No.60 Anna Blinkova.
Tomljanovic can also be competing in doubles alongside Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
Aussies in motion – Birmingham
COMING UP
Ladies’s singles, first spherical
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v Anna Blinkova
Ladies’s doubles, first spherical
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)/Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v [WC] Samantha Murray Sharan (GBR)/Eden Silva (GBR)
Berlin, Germany
Australian Ellen Perez is the highest seed within the girls’s doubles draw, alongside American companion Nicole Melichar-Martinez, at a WTA 500 event in Berlin this week.
Aussies in action- Berlin
COMING UP
Ladies’s doubles, first spherical
[1] Ellen Perez (AUS)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) v Shuko Aoyama (JPN)/Wu Fang-Hsien (TPE)
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