'WE BARELY SPOKE': HOW AN 'INCREDIBLE STORY' HAS HIJIKATA ON CUSP OF WIMBLEDON GLORY

David Pel (left) and Rinky Hijikata (right). (Getty/Marleen Fouchier)

It was a last-ditch call-up, but Aussie Rinky Hijikata and doubles partner David Pel are two wins away from holding the Wimbledon title, in what has ended up as an "incredible story".

Hijikata, who won the 2023 Australian Open doubles title alongside compatriot Jason Kubler, happened to chat with Pel about a potential partnership, even though they had hardly crossed paths.

Overnight, they took down Brazilian duo Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo 7-6(5), 6-4 to earn a semi-final date.

"Unreal. It's been a hell of a week so far, and it's been a lot of fun playing with David, so just happy to be able to go out there again on Thursday. We'll give it a crack and see how it goes," Hijikata told Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily.

"We barely spoke before actually... It's unreal," Pel chimed in.

"It's an incredible story so far... It's a great feeling to be here in the semi-finals. Looking forward to Thursday. I mean, incredible story."

The pair then shared that they only knew they were in the doubles draw last Tuesday, with just one day to prepare.

Next up, an enormous test awaits against top-seeds Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić, but what has been the secret to reaching this stage?

"Honestly, I feel like we're just enjoying ourselves out there," Hijikata said.

"We're not putting too much pressure on ourselves. I feel like we've got no expectations and we're just going out there trying to swing away and whatever happens happens.

"We're just trying to enjoy every moment as much as we can, and just back ourselves to play some big tennis. It's worked so far, and hopefully we can keep going."

The two remaining doubles quarter-finals are to be contested by the second, third, fourth, and fifth seeds.

Last week, Hijikata found himself in the middle of controversy after the tournament supervisor and chair umpire opted to suspend play in his second-round match against Ben Shelton, despite the American 10th seed requiring one service hold to progress.

In the women's doubles, Queenslander Olivia Gadecki is yet to drop a set with American partner Desirae Krawczyk en route to the semi-finals, where they are tasked with getting the better of No.8 seeds Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova if they are to feature in the big dance.

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