Zhizhen Zhang - Rinky Hijikata predictions and free betting tips [01/09/2023]

In the third round of the US Open, played on a hard court, Zhizhen Zhang of China is set to face Rinky Hijikata of Australia. Betting is favoring Zhang for the win.

Zhizhen Zhang

26-year-old Zhang, who is currently ranked 67th in the world, has already claimed two victories at the US Open. In the first round, he bested Wolf with a score of 7:5, 7:5, 6:7 (5:7), 4:6, 6:3, and later overcame Ruud in five sets scoring 6:4, 5:7, 6:2, 0:6, 6:2. Prior to this, Zhang participated in the tournament in Winston-Salem, where he passed Ivashka with a score of 4:6, 7:6 (9:7), 6:2, only to later fall to Fucsovics 4:6, 2:6.

At the preceding tournament in Cincinnati, Zhang failed to qualify, having secured only one victory against Kressy with a score of 6:7 (4:7), 6:3, 7:6 (13:11). He then suffered a defeat at the hands of Pospisil scoring 3:6, 3:6, and in Toronto, he exited in the first match, falling to Kokkinakis 5:7, 4:6. Zhang also did not achieve significant results in Kitzbühel; he bested Lajović scoring 6:3, 6:2, but then fell to Thiem 6:1, 3:6, 2:6.

In late July, at the Hamburg tournament, Zhang reached the semi-finals, defeating Choinski, Hanfmann, and Altmaier, before losing to Djere in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, at the Gstaad and Wimbledon tournaments, he couldn't surpass the initial rounds, losing to Medvedev and van de Zandschulp with scores of 6:4, 1:6, 4:6 and 6:2, 6:7 (3:7), 6:7 (6:8), 6:3, 2:6 respectively.

In June, Zhang exhibited good performance at the Eastbourne tournament, reaching the quarter-finals. Here he overcame Sonego and Kressy, but yielded to Cerúndolo. At the French Open in early June, he reached the third round, beating Lajović and Tirante, but then fell to Ruud, and in Madrid, he reached the quarterfinals beating Rodionov, Shapovalov, Norrie and Fritz, but then lost to Karatsev. In the other tournaments of the season, Zhang couldn't pull off any standout results, managing no more than two wins.

Rinky Hijikata

The 22-year-old Rinky, who is ranked 110th in the world, has won two games at the US Open over Kotov with a score of 7:5, 5:7, 6:3, 7:5 and Fucsovics 6:1, 6:2, 6:1. At the previous championship in Winston-Salem, the tennis player defeated Marchenko 4:6, 6:3, 6:2, but lost to Cilic 2:6, 6:7 (2:7), and in Cincinnati, he couldn't pass the qualification round, losing to Lajović.

In mid-August at the Cary Challenger, Rinky reached the quarterfinals by defeating Shimabukuro and Richards, only to then yield to Walton. At Los Cabos, he lost to Isner in the first round. At the Newport and Ilkley tournaments, as well as in Wimbledon's qualification rounds, Rinky managed only one victory.

In June, at the tournament in Hertogenbosch, Hijikata exhibited good play, reaching the semi-finals. He overcame Brouwer 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 6:2, Huesler 2:6, 7:5, 6:3 and McDonald 5:7, 6:3, 6:1, but then lost to Thompson 6:7 (5:7), 3:6. Earlier, during the qualification, he defeated Haase 6:3, 7:5 only to then lose to Berankis 4:6, 4:6.

This season, the tennis player also delivered successful performances at the hard-covered court at the Burnie Challenger in early February, where he ultimately claimed the title. Over the course of the tournament, Rinky triumphed over Takahashi, Ellis, McCabe, Shimizu and Duckworth. In April at the Seoul Challenger, Hijikata reached the quarterfinals, vanquishing Shimabukuro and Donskoy but then fell to Chun-Hsin Tseng, and in May in Gwangju, he also reached the quarterfinals, defeating Diallo and Tu, but then lost to Thompson. In other tournaments, the tennis player reached up to the third round maximum.

Head-to-head

The athletes previously faced off on the 16th of March during the Phoenix Challenger on hard court. The match ended with Zhang clinching the victory with a score of 6:7 (4:7), 6:3, 6:4.

Predictions for the Zhang - Hijikata match

Zhang confidently handled strong competitors in previous rounds and, in my opinion, is the favorite in the upcoming match, with the outcome of previous encounters also in his favor. I place my wager on Zhang's victory.