Collignon vs Hijikata Prediction 25 August 2026
🔊 Rafael Collignon returns to Winston-Salem having lost in the first round here last year, though this time he arrives as the fifth seed. Rinky Hijikata knows the tournament well - two years ago he reached the quarter-finals, his best result at this event. Hijikata has already won his opening match this week, while Collignon enters at the second round by virtue of his seeding. It has been Collignon's strongest season to date, but today he faces an opponent who is very much at home on these courts.
Head-to-Head
📊 Collignon and Hijikata have no previous meetings on record.
Raphael Collignon Player Overview
On hard courts this season, Collignon has gone 13-8, holding serve in 83% of service games and winning 21% of return games. Much of that record was built in the first half of the season: his run to the Gstaad final was one of the best results of his career, with wins over Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Valentin Vacherot along the way.
Since then, the results have gone the other way. He lost the Gstaad final to Stefanos Tsitsipas, then dropped three straight to Daniel Altmaier, Alexei Popyrin and Mariano Navone - losing the first set in all four of those matches.
Match Results: Raphael Collignon
Rinky Hijikata Player Overview
Hijikata's hard-court season looks modest overall compared to Collignon's, but he has the edge on return games, breaking serve in 26% of his opponents' service games. Two weeks ago in Cincinnati he beat Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-2 and came back from a set down against Gaël Monfils.
This week he already dispatched Darwin Blanch in straight sets, so form is clearly with him. His return game rather than his serve has been the foundation of his season - and slow starts to matches are precisely what has been letting Collignon down.
Match Results: Rinky Hijikata
Key factors
- Collignon has lost four matches in a row on hard courts, dropping the first set in each of them.
- On hard courts this season, Collignon has the better win rate: 13 wins from 21, against Hijikata's 18 from 30.
- On return, though, Hijikata has the edge: he has broken in 26% of return games, compared to 21% for Collignon.
- Hijikata has already won his opening match this week; Collignon enters at the second round.
Expected scenario
Collignon has the stronger hard-court record over the season, but arrives on a losing streak in which he has dropped the first set in every defeat. Hijikata, by contrast, has found his rhythm - he has already won a round here, and his return game is currently in better shape than Collignon's serve. If Collignon fails to find his level early, Hijikata will have the opportunity to dictate the pace of the match.
Total Games Prediction
Both players are capable of wrapping things up quickly: Hijikata has won his recent matches in straight sets, including his match earlier this week, while most of Collignon's defeats in this run have been fairly one-sided. That said, Collignon can go the distance - his final in Gstaad did stretch to three sets. How many games we see today will largely depend on whether the Belgian can finally take the opening set, which he has consistently dropped throughout this run.
⭐ Editor's Prediction
Collignon is the higher-ranked player, but his last win on hard courts came back in March. His rise up the rankings has been built largely on clay. Hijikata's more tenacious return game could exploit Collignon's poor hard-court form, and a win earlier this week gives him an extra edge. Our pick: Rinky Hijikata to win.
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Betting Tips: Raphael Collignon - Rinky Hijikata
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