Wimbledon: Rinky Hijikata eyes doubles riches, as Anisimova, Swiatek face off in women’s final

Rinky Hijikata will play for a share of $1.4 million (AUD) in prizemoney when he and David Pel face all-conquering British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool in the doubles final.

Rinky Hijikata and David Pel have enjoyed a fairytale run. Picture: AFP

Rinky Hijikata will play for a share of $1.4 million (AUD) in prizemoney when he and David Pel face all-conquering British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool in the doubles final.

The son of Japanese immigrants who started playing tennis as a three-year-old, Hinjikata is on the cusp of his biggest achievement on the court to date.

While he has an Australian Open doubles title triumph on his CV already, a Wimbledon win would be another brilliant string on the bow for the 24-year-old Sydneysider.

But he and Dutchman Pel will be huge underdogs, as they face a pairing who have twice won the Wimbledon title (2022-23).

Rinky Hijikata will play the men’s doubles final. Picture: Getty Images

The doubles decider is the entree to the women’s singles final, where a new champion is guaranteed for the eighth conscutive year.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek had previously never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club while US 13th seed Amanda Anisimova is preparing for her first major final.

No player has retained the crown since the now-retired Serena Williams won her seventh and final Wimbledon title in 2016.

Aryna Sabalenka started as the hot favourite after reaching the past three Grand Slam finals but faltered in a gripping semi-final against Anisimova.

Poland’s Swiatek is seeded eighth at Wimbledon following a disappointing first half of the season, though she is back up to fourth in the rankings after reaching the final of the grass-court Bad Homburg tournament.

That run, together with her surge through the draw at All England Club, suggests the 24-year-old is cured of her grass-court allergy.