ALMATY/STARNBERG, October 14, 2025
The distance between Sydney, Australia, and Almaty is over 11,000 kilometres. Nevertheless, three Sydney natives – Aleksandar Vukic, Rinki Hijikata, and James Duckworth – are feeling right at home this week at the Almaty Open.
Add in one Aussie, Adam Walton from Brisbane, which is also over 11,000 kilometres from Almaty, and you have a quartet of Aussies all into the second round.
No other nation had more main draw entrants (6) or players in the second round (4) than Australia, and one of the reasons for that is the warm welcome the players feel from the tournament.
“I’m really impressed,” said Walton after his victory over compatriot Tristan Schoolkate on Tuesday. “The hotel’s great, the facilities are unreal, and both match courts are excellent.”
The Aussies may not be known for their indoor prowess, but don’t be fooled — they can handle their business on the faster surfaces, says Walton.
“Indoor tennis is a bit different for us — we don’t play much on it back home — but I think a lot of Australians actually enjoy it,” Walton said. “So yeah, there’s no reason why we can’t finish the year strong.”
Aleksandar Vukic, who defeated Marko Topo on Tuesday, echoed Walton’s sentiments. He said he and his mates are enjoying the Almaty welcome.
“We’re actually talking about it, and it’s probably one of the better 250s for the year just in terms of the effort they put in, in terms of the food, and how nice everyone is — it’s definitely underrated,” said Vukic.
The 29-year-old must have felt like he was playing an ATP Challenger on home soil in Australia on Tuesday. He said that when he looked up at the scores, all he saw was green and gold.
“I finished the match and I saw there were three Aussies on at the same time,” he said. “There are a lot of Aussies here, we seem to like these conditions, and hopefully we can meet each other closer to the finals.”
Walton added that word has travelled among the Aussies that the Almaty Open is a good place to play.
“I feel like we all try to stick together,” Walton, who faces Daniil Medvedev in the second round, said. “A lot of the Aussies came here last year, so it felt like a good one for me to try out for the first time.”
Rinky Hijikata, who took out Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov in a tense three-setter on Tuesday, is thrilled to have success with his mates this week. He believes this tournament can be a building block for some of the Australians.
The lucky loser moves on
Rinky Hijikata survives a tight 7-6(3) 2-6 6-3 clash with Timofey Skatov!#AlmatyOpen pic.twitter.com/a81Exz2QJb
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 14, 2025
“It’s exciting, you know? I think Aussie tennis at the moment is looking pretty good. I think a few guys have had a bit of a rough year, but we can all kind of try to finish strong and then make a push before the Aussie summer.”
Hijikata, who will face Flavio Cobolli in the second round, admits that travel can be a grind on tour for the Aussies, who rarely find time to get home once they leave for Europe after the Aussie summer each year.
“It can be tough,” he said. “It’s far to get home. It’s not like you can duck back home for a week in the middle of the season. I’m pretty lucky I have a base in North Carolina (USA) where I went to college. My girlfriend lives there, and all my coaches and a few of my teammates are still in Chapel Hill training, and they always welcome me with open arms. So I’m pretty lucky.”
In the meantime, Hijikata and his countrymates are happy to have found another home away from home in Almaty.
