By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday February 23 2023
Jiri Lehecka edged top-seeded Andrey Rublev in Doha to set a semifinal clash with resurgent Andy Murray.
Photo Source: Getty
After reaching his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, where he notched wins over Borna Coric, Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime, 21-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka continues to impress.
On Thursday he notched a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over top-seeded Andrey Rublev, giving the rising talent his first Top-5 win and his third Top-20 win of 2023.
Lehecka turned the tide after dropping the opening set to Rublev, using more variation and ratcheting up his elite power game, on serve and from the back of the court.
“I found like in the second set, in the end of the second set, that I need to focus more, you know, on the variability of the game, that he is a great player when you give him like two same shots, and he can find his rhythm very easily,” the Czech said. “So for me to play a bit more slices, maybe a few higher balls, you know, that was an option, and that was the reason why I won second set.”
“In the third set, I don't think that I changed something specifically. I just found my rhythm, and I just played my game, you know. When I feel good, I can play some very good shots. Also my serve helped me a lot, because I think that I started to serve a bit faster than in the previous sets.”
Lehecka, who is up to No.44 in the ATP live rankings, will face resurgent Andy Murray – he of the marathon victories – in the semifinals at Doha.
Murray went three sets again on Thursday, taking out French qualifier Alexandre Muller, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The Scot saved three match points in his first-round match against Lorenzo Sonego in Doha, and backed that up with a three hour and three-minute triumph over Alexander Zverev.
Murray, into his first ATP semifinal since June, is aware of the fact that Lehecka is a rising talent and one of the biggest hitters on tour.
“He's obviously started this year very well,” he said. “I practiced with him once during the grass court season last year, and it was clear that, you know, he has a huge game. He serves big. He's a very clean ball striker.”
Murray needed just two hours and six minutes to defeat Muller – a short one by the Scot’s 2023 standard – and the two-time Doha champ (2008 and 2009) is building confidence with all his court time.
Remarkably, Murray spent 4:50 and 5:45 winning his first two rounds at the Australian Open, over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
“Obviously I would like to have quicker matches, but sometimes it happens this way, and I'm sure that's not going to continue throughout the rest of the season,” he said. “It's just a period that I'm going through where the matches are difficult.
“But with each of these wins, I'll build more and more confidence and hopefully continue to start the matches a bit quicker, a bit better because of that. I'm sure some easier or quicker wins will come, as I'm sure there will be the occasional loss that's quick, too. Yeah, it's just one of those things the way that the matches have played out to start the season.”