Jiri Lehecka claimed the first Top 3 win of his career on Thursday when he shocked Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and continue his impressive start to the season.
In a high-quality encounter, the Czech blew away Alcaraz at times with his destructive baseline hitting. The 23-year-old backed up 135mph first serves with pinpoint groundstrokes to gain the upper hand in baseline exchanges, and he showed mental toughness, rallying from 2-4 down in the third set to advance to the last four in Doha for the second time.
“I feel great,” Lehecka said. “The match was up and down since the beginning. So for me to win a match like that against a player like this is a super big achievement. I believed in myself and knew I had the level to produce this kind of tennis. I knew if I could be a bit more consistent in matches, I can bring these results more and more.
“I think the most important part was I believed in my game and did not back down. Even when I was missing shots in the third set, I wanted to play my game style, be an aggressive player and push him to his limits. I was just waiting for the right moment to put all these things together and it happened when I broke him back in the third set.”
Lehecka will next face British lefty Jack Draper or Italian Matteo Berrettini on Friday.
“I will try to recover well and get back on the right track in the morning to build the right things again,” Lehecka said looking ahead. “I am confident I can bring even more tomorrow and I will try my best.”
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