Chapel Hill university campus shooting breaks heart of Australian alumni Rinky Hijikata after historic US Open victory

A first US Open win for Rinky Hijikata was overshadowed by tragic news from his former university, writes COURTNEY WALSH in New York.

Rinky Hijikata returns a ball in his first-round US Open win against Pavel Kotov. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Rinky Hijikata should have been celebrating a major milestone in his career on Monday after clinching his first win at the US Open in stirring fashion in New York.

But instead the Sydneysider was devastated after learning of a shooting at the university he recently attended as he was fighting his way to a 7-5 5-7 6-3 7-5 over Paval Kotov.

An alert was sent out to students and staff at the University of North Carolina on Monday shortly after lunchtime warning of an “armed and dangerous person on or near campus.”

Faculty and students at the famed university were advised to “remain sheltered in place”, with the Chapel Hill campus in lockdown for several hours. Police ultimately apprehended a postdoctoral student who is accused of murdering a member of staff.

Hijikata, who earned All American honours while attending the University of North Carolina on a tennis scholarship, still has extremely close ties to the school named Chapel Hill.

The 22-year-old’s girlfriend and many of his former teammates and close friends still attend the school.

Hijikata, who had spent the past week with his parents preparing for the US Open at UNC, was ashen-faced as he tried to explain the terror he was feeling on learning of the shooting.

“I came off court and I saw there was a shooting at UNC so that‘s kind of put a bit of a dampener on it, to be honest,” he said. “First and foremost, I just want to probably send my thoughts and prayers to everyone back to everyone in Chapel Hill. That’s not something you want to see.

“What‘s happened is a lot bigger than my tennis match here today. It is not the news I was hoping to come out to.”

A campus area at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Picture: Eros Hoagland/Getty Images

Hijikata, who was among three Australian winners on Monday, was mobbed by fans after prevailing in a tough contest over Kotov on Court 15 of the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre.

The Australian posed for dozens of photographs and signed autographs over a span of more than 10 minutes celebrating a triumph that thrust him into the top 100 for the first time.

But he was distressed on returning to the locker room as the messages came through from friends. Hijikata, who studied a business degree in his two years at Chapel Hill before turning professional, said it was the type of nightmare he feared might happen while at school.

“I mean, obviously, coming from Australia, it‘s a very, very different dynamic,” he said.

“I feel like as an Australian, it can be a little bit of a head scratcher at times … the way everything‘s sometimes run in the US. There are times where you don’t kind of feel safe.

“It’s very unfortunate what’s happened today, but I feel like it’s not really an unexpected event, which makes it almost worse.

“I‘d much rather be here sitting and talking about my match. Because, you know, (it was my) first one at the US Open. I mean, it definitely blows.”

Rinky Hijikata reacts after a point during his first-up victory at the US Open. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

Hijikata told CODE Sports in an interview leading into the Australian Open that the time he spent at Chapel Hill was pivotal to both his life and his career. He said the friends and confidence he gleaned from the university were essential to his bid to make it as a professional tennis player.

“UNC gave me an unbelievable base to get better and grow as a player and a person,” he told CODE Sports. “When I thought the time was right, which was after two years for me, I told my coaches … I think I‘ve got some good momentum behind me and I really feel like I can go out and make a run.”

A year ago, Hijikata experienced the thrill of his brief career when taking a set off Rafael Nadal in a match played in prime time in front of 24,000 fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

As he sat in his hotel room eating pizza later that night, he contemplated how far he had come from his stint at Chapel Hill as his college mates told him what a thrill it was to watch him taking it to a legend.

“It was a pretty mixed bag of emotions. I mean, I was actually a little disappointed,” he said.

“Especially after the position I was in, I felt like I could have … maybe done a little bit better after the first set and maybe I took my foot off the gas a little bit.

“But, on the flip side, I had everyone there telling me what a great job I’d done. I don’t know. It didn’t really feel real at that moment.

“Like, even when the whole time I was playing the match, just after that I couldn’t come to terms with it, that it was kind of reality.”

Rinky Hijikata lashes a forehand at Flushing Meadows, before leaving the court to sombre news. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

His only consolation on Monday was the hope that, on a terrible day for his alma mater, he might least provide some joy for those he is close to.

Hijikata, who would become the ninth Australian man inside the top 100 should his ranking hold through until the end of the US Open, will play Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

He plans to spend time with his family and coach and is hopeful of putting the sobering events of the day behind him ahead of the second round encounter on Wednesday.

“If anything, I want to probably try to play ten to 20 per cent harder on Wednesday for everyone in school at the moment,” he said. “You know, it is the first week of class. Maybe there are some people at UNC now who are watching me play and maybe it‘s been a little bit of a positive on (what is) not a great day.

“So, yeah, I‘ll just try. I think I’ll be fine but I’ll definitely try to play harder for everyone back at home and for all of the Tar Heels.”