Rinky Hijikata is the more experienced tour-level player and the higher-ranked of the two, but this looks like a good spot to back the underdog, Darwin Blanch.
The talented American will have the advantage of playing at home and should be highly motivated to make the most of his wildcard opportunity. He also enjoyed a good campaign here in 2025, reaching the second round as a qualifier with some impressive wins.
Blanch Seeks To Reverse His Recent Form
- Rinky Hijikata has a 2–0 record in opening-round matches at Winston-Salem.
- He has a 15–7 record against players outside the Top 100 in 2026.
- Darwin Blanch is currently on a six-match losing streak across all levels.
- He has a 3–5 record against Top 100 players.
HTH
This will be their first meeting.
Rinky Hijikata Looks to Extend His Resurgence
Rinky Hijikata snapped a four-match losing streak by reaching the third round in Cincinnati, where he registered confidence-boosting wins over Gael Monfils and Luciano Darderi in the previous rounds.
He has played 18 events on tour this year and cleared the opening-round hurdle in eight of them, while registering multiple main-draw wins only twice. His best results include reaching the quarterfinals at Queen's Club and the fourth round in Indian Wells.
This is his third main-draw appearance in Winston-Salem. He cleared the first round in both of his previous appearances and went on to reach the quarterfinals last year.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Age | Born 23 February 2001 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World Ranking | No. 95 |
| Career High | No. 62 (26 August 2024) |
| Elo Ranking | No. 106 |
| Tour-Level Titles | 0 |
Blanch Looks to End His Losing Streak
Darwin Blanch has endured a disappointing stretch and is currently on a six-match losing streak. He has failed to win a match in all five North American events he has played in recent weeks.
Before this slump, he posted six quarterfinal-or-better results on the Challenger circuit. However, he has made only two main-draw appearances at tour level, clearing the opening-round hurdle once and reaching the second round in Miami.
This is his second appearance in Winston-Salem after reaching the second round on his debut in 2025. He will be looking to clear the opening-round hurdle again this week.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Age | Born 28 September 2007 |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| World Ranking | No. 224 |
| Career High | No. 211 (15 June 2026) |
| Elo Ranking | No. 290 |
| Tour-Level Titles | 0 |