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TennisSection previews the 2023 Libema Open semifinal match featuring Jordan Thompson vs. Rinky Hijikata on Saturday, June 17, 2023

Thompson vs Hijikata Match Details

Where is the match taking place: Jordan Thompson vs. Rinky Hijikata will take place at the Autotron Rosmalen, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, for the 2023 Libema Open.

What is the start time: Jordan Thompson vs. Rinky Hijikata will start (TBD)

How can I watch it: The match will be telecast live on TennisTV.

Thompson vs Hijikata Head-to-Head

Jordan Thompson leads Rinky Hijikata 2-0 in their head-to-head. He won both matches this season including at last week’s Surbiton Challenger.

Thompson vs Hijikata Prediction

Let’s be honest here, this was not the semifinal we had in mind when the draw in Den Bosch came out. But here we are, and you can’t say Jordan Thomspon and Rinky Hijikata don’t deserve to be here. It’s the underdog semifinal with two players outside the top 100. Jordan Thomspon knows what it takes to win on grass. He was a finalist during his last visit to this tournament in 2019 and could repeat that run by beating Hijikata. Thompson has been composed and solid from the baseline, covering the court extremely well and using his nous to get the job done. He’s beaten Mpetshi Perricard, Milos Raonic, and Adrian Mannarino to get to the semis. Given what Mannarino has done this week, Thompson winning that quarterfinal was kind of a big deal. Hijikata, meanwhile, is enjoying his best stint on grass. He got here as a lucky loser, but won three straight three-setters to reach his first ATP semifinal. While at this point, it might be wise to ask how much gas he has left in the tank, Hijikata actually finished off Mackenzie McDonald pretty strongly in the quarterfinal, bagging the final set 6-1. Still, I have to side with Thompson, who has already gotten the better of Hijikata in Surbiton routinely and he’ll have too much in his arsenal to win again.