Aussies continue winning form, Djokovic suffers early exit in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Open is seeing continued success for Australian players, with Alex de Minaur and Rinky Hijikata both securing victories in their respective round of 64 matches. This follows strong performances from other Australians earlier in the tournament.

De Minaur, the fifth seed, battled back after dropping the first set to defeat Quentin Halys 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). He will now face Britain's Arthur Fery in the round of 32. Fery himself advanced after a tough three-set match against fellow Australian James Duckworth.

Wildcard Rinky Hijikata also made his mark, defeating Italy's 19th seed Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-2. Hijikata is set to play Jakub Menšík of the Czech Republic in his next match.

“

Congrats to my opponent. It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure. The way I felt. Not the first and I guess not the last time, but it is what it is.

In a significant upset, 39-year-old Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the tournament. Playing his first match since his Wimbledon semifinal appearance, Djokovic lost in three sets to the unseeded Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante. Djokovic cited feeling unwell during the match and required a medical timeout.

"Congrats to my opponent," Djokovic stated after the match. "It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure. The way I felt. Not the first and I guess not the last time, but it is what it is." Tirante expressed his excitement, calling it "the best win of my career."

“

I think this is the best win of my career. I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak.