NEW YORK—Second seed Rafael Nadal faced a surprise test in his first U.S. Open appearance since winning the 2019 title, as he overcame 21-year-old Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata 4–6 6–2 6–3 6–3 on Tuesday in the opening round.
Playing in only his second match after pulling out of Wimbledon with an abdominal injury, the Spaniard had speculated whether he was ready to take on New York and seemed to confirm those fears as he struggled on the return in the first set.
