Rinky Hijikata left court ready to talk about his first US Open win,
but the Australian wildcard's mind instantly moved to a shooting at the University of North Carolina, where he studied business for two years.
Hijikata advanced to the second round at Flushing Meadows after defeating Pavel Kotov 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in four hours.
The shooting death of a university teaching member, where Hijikata's sweetheart is still a student, cut his joy.“
“I came off the court and saw there was a shooting at UNC that kind of dampened it [win],” said Hijikata.
First and foremost, I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to everyone back in Chapel Hill because that's not what you want.
“There are bigger things than my tennis match today. This is sometimes the reality of life in this country, which is bad.”