Hijikata looks better prepared for Wimbledon clash

Jesper De Jong faces Rinky Hijikata in the 1/64-finals at Wimbledon ATP on 29 June, with the grass-court match played over best of five sets.

The main split is clear. De Jong arrives with strong recent results but no grass record in the supplied season data, while Hijikata has already built a solid run on the surface.

Hijikata owns the grass lead

Hijikata has gone 7-3 on grass this season, holding 84% of his service games and breaking in 22% of return games. That gives him a clearer surface base for this match, while De Jong has no recorded grass wins or losses in the supplied season numbers.

De Jong's form carries clay weight

De Jong has won eight of his last 10 matches, including a Cattolica Challenger title run and wins at the French Open. The warning is surface context. All 10 of those recent matches came on clay, so the form is strong but not a clean guide to Wimbledon.

Recent grass run backs Hijikata

Hijikata is 7-3 across his last 10, and every match in that spell was on grass. He reached the final in London ATP qualifying and then beat Alejandro Tabilo and Jiri Lehecka in the main draw before losing to Ugo Humbert, which gives his recent run more direct relevance here.

Market keeps De Jong as outsider

Bookmakers price De Jong at 3 against Hijikata at 1.4, with first-set prices of 2.38 and 1.57. The gap is clear, and it matches the stronger grass evidence on Hijikata's side.

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Serve numbers meet return pressure

Hijikata's recent hold rate is slightly higher at 83%, but De Jong has been more active on return, winning 31% of return games across his last 10. That gives De Jong a route into the match if he can create enough pressure early. Still, Hijikata's surface rhythm and lighter recent workload make his case stronger.

Prediction

Odds