Aussie underdog eyes maiden Wimbledon final

Joshua Mayne

Aussie underdog eyes maiden Wimbledon final image

Rinky Hijikata is one match away from a Wimbledon final.

The Australian is enjoying a stellar run in the men's doubles tournament alongside Dutch veteran David Pel.

After grinding out three-set wins in their opening two matches, the duo stunned the No. 3 seed pair of Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz 6-2 6-4 in the third round.

This set up a quarter-final meeting with Brazilian opponents Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo, where Hijikata and Pel delivered again, claiming a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory.

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Now, a semi-final at the All-England Club awaits. 

They will take on the No. 1 seed duo of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic on Thursday evening (AEST). 

Hijikata has notably already achieved some grand slam success.

The 24-year-old won the men's doubles tournament at the 2023 Australian Open alongside fellow countryman Jason Kubler.

Pel, a doubles specialist, is yet to win a major.

Remarkably, the pair had never played together before this tournament and entered the Wimbledon draw as alternates.

"It’s been a  hell of a week so far and it’s been a lot of fun playing with David," Hijikata told Stan Sport.

"(We’re) just happy to be able to go out there again on Thursday, and then we’ll give it a crack and see how it goes.

"I feel like we’re just trying to enjoy every moment as much as we can, just back ourselves to play some big tennis. I mean, it’s worked so far, and hopefully we can keep going."

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In the women's doubles, another Aussie is enjoying a deep run.

Olivia Gadecki, alongside American partner Desirae Krawczyk, will take on Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova for a spot in the final on Friday (AEST).

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News currently based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and a journalist at Ministry of Sport. Joshua specialises in rugby league, motorsport and tennis. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again.