Lehecka surprises Medvedev in Cincinnati

Jiri Lehecka scored a surprise victory over former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday night in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.

Medvedev, the 2019 champion, arrived in Ohio hungry for more matches and in improved form after a first-round exit in Montreal. But instead, Lehecka, who had not played since Cincinnati in Madrid due to a back injury, emerged victorious 7-6(2), 6-4.

“It’s amazing to be back, to be honest,” Lehecka said in his on-court interview. “It’s been a long time since I played on a big stage, so I enjoyed every moment today. To get a win again against such a good and talented player like Daniil is definitely a bonus for me.”

🚨 JAM ALERT 🚨@jirilehecka put on a show for the Cincy crowd with a 7-6(2) 6-4 victory over Medvedev.@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/UcsNlau1yt

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 15, 2024

The runner-up of the 2022 ATP Next Gen Finals presented by PIF went more than two months without touching a tennis racket. On July 7, he returned to the court. And just over a month later, he won one of the greatest victories of his career.

Medvedev, who lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Montreal, hit just 44 percent of his first serves according to Infosys ATP Stats and committed seven double faults, including a crucial one on a break point at 3-3 in the second set. When he missed his second serve, the crowd went silent.

Lehecka played fearless tennis, hitting 17 forehand winners to capitalise on his opportunities. This year’s Adelaide champion wrote a fitting message to the camera after the match: “I’m back!”

(ATP APPLICATION)

Lehecka, who is now 5-14 against top-10 opponents, will next face hometown favorite Frances Tiafoe. The American knocked out No. 14 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-3, 6-2.

“I served really well today. I was the aggressor, I was playing pretty deep, really deep,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “But the thing is, I just tried to catch him early. He’s played on a bunch of different surfaces, he’s played a lot of tennis lately. I know obviously he’s trying to be at his best at the U.S. Open, but I thought I had to come out really hard and play as fast as I could. I came forward a lot today and I think I really disrupted him.”

Tiafoe faced a tough challenge against the Paris Olympic bronze medallist, and he rose to the occasion. The world number 27 was unbeaten after 68 minutes of play.

“I know he just finished the Olympics, so those are the kind of matchups you want,” Tiafoe said. “I’ve been playing on hard courts since Atlanta, and I’ve been playing better and better every week. I think that’s the biggest difference today.”

(NEWSLETTER FORM)