A Winston-Salem Open that’s wide open plays right into the hands of 23-year-old Rinky Hijikata. He loves playing in North Carolina and it showed on Wednesday in the third round.

He battled back from a set down and saved two match points to beat Borna Coric 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday. He lost to Coric in last year’s second round in his first appearance at the Winston-Salem Open.

One reason this Aussie enjoys North Carolina has to do with his college experience - he played for the Tar Heels and UNC Chapel Hill, so he's used to the campus atmosphere.

“I love it here, and I’ve played in Cary (on the Challenge Tour) the last few years. It felt like a home tournament there, and it feels that way here,” he said.

Hijikata, who is from Australia, is ranked No. 65 - a career high since turning pro in 2021.

With so many seeds out of the tournament there’s no clear-cut favorite to win the title.

“I haven’t really looked at the draw to see who is in or who is out,” Hijikata said about reaching the quarterfinals. “I think it’s more so get right for the U.S. Open and work on the right things here and feeling confident going into New York.”

After falling behind after one set, Hijikata said he made some adjustments to get back into the match.

“I think there were a few momentum swings, and it definitely picked up in the third set there,” Hijikata said. “I just tried to stay with it, and I know I missed a few chances, but I saved a lot of chances also.”

Hijikata will face David Goffin in the quarterfinals. “I’m just glad I hung in there,” Hijikata said.

As for the Tar Heels and their upcoming football season, Hijikata says they better find a quarterback.

“Hopefully they’ll win a lot of games, but I don’t know who the starting quarterback is going to be, so we’ll see,” Hijikata said.