Novak Djokovic’s ATP Finals hopes ended in Paris after a three set defeat to Rinky Hijikata at the Rolex Paris Masters.
The Serb was hoping to reach the season-ending finale in Turin but had his hopes end at the hands of the Australian in a 2-6 6-3 6-3 defeat.
It was a brilliant performance from Hijikata who produced a stunning last two sets to score one of the best wins of his career so far.
Now Hijikata is into the third round in Paris as he looks to make a severe climb up the rankings and hailed his performance after his win, “I wasn’t sure whether I was going to take the court today, so I was happy I could come out and play,” Hijikata explained to the ATP website.
”He was playing too good for me for the first set and a little bit. I was just trying to hang tough as much as I could, and I was happy to maintain my level for as long as I could. That’s been the key this week for me: To try and impose my game as much as I can and back myself in the big moments. 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.”
As for Djokovic it’s disappointment as his season comes to an end having started the season so well by defeating Jannik Sinner on his way to the Australian Open final.
The Serb also won a title in Basel continuing his track record of winning a title in every season but was unable to book his ticket to Turin.
It was a day where Djokovic couldn’t hide his disappointment, “Disappointment, obviously, losing a match that I felt like I was dominating for a set and a few games,” Djokovic acknowledged.
“Then he was switched on. I wasn’t serving as well in the second set. He was just playing out of his mind, honestly. He was not missing, keeping the ball low. It was a terrific performance. Nobody loves losing. It’s just another match, but I should’ve won this match. I played well in the first set and then completely lost control.“
Hijikata will now face Tomas Martin Etcherverry in the third round after the Argentinian knocked out Alex De Minaur while Daniil Medvedev also suffered a stick exit to Ignacio Buse.
