On a cool afternoon in Playford, the crowd had just begun to settle into the rhythm of an all-Australian QF showdown when an unexpected twist sent a ripple of concern across the tennis court. Rinky Hijikata, the 24-year-old rising star known for his grit and relentless baseline work, suddenly paused mid-rally, wincing as he looked down at his left knee.

A scrape – small but deep enough – had broken the skin. Blood began to trickle, and within moments, what had been a tense first-set battle came to an abrupt standstill. At 3-4, 15-15 on James McCabe’s serve, the chair umpire signaled a Medical Time Out (MTO) as the medical team rushed in to assess the injury.

For a player like Hijikata, whose game thrives on explosive movement and low-court coverage, a bleeding knee was more than just a s

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