Lehecka stuns Draper to reach Queen's final
Czech world number 30 Jiri Lehecka stunned Britain's Jack Draper to reach the Queen's Club final with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory on Saturday.
Lehecka blasted 36 winners and hit 16 aces to end Draper's bid for a maiden final appearance at the Wimbledon warm-up event in west London.
Advertisement
The 23-year-old will face French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in Sunday's final.
"It means a lot. You don't meet a player like Jack every day, he's an amazing competitor," Lehecka said.
"It's not easy to use my serve (on grass) but I've been working on it for the last few weeks. I'm happy with it."
Draper was hoping to become the first British singles champion at Queen's since five-time winner Andy Murray's most recent victory in 2016.
After booking his spot in the semi-finals Draper revealed he had held the Queen's trophy as a child around 12 years ago.
Advertisement
But Draper, ranked sixth in the world, will have to wait at least another year to get his hands back on the silverware after producing an unusually error-strewn display in sweltering conditions.
Lehecka had already ended the hopes of one Briton at Queen's after beating Jacob Fearnley in the quarter-finals on Friday.
The 23-year-old also defeated world number 12 Alex de Minaur in his opening match of the tournament, but knocking out Draper was his biggest scalp yet.
Draper's careless double-fault gifted Lehecka a break in the opening game of the first set.
The ice-cool Lehecka ignored the searing temperatures as he cruised through the rest of the set.
Advertisement
Draper needed to apply pressure on Lehecka to get back in the match and he did exactly that in the fourth game of the second set.
Even then, Lehecka staved off four break points and repelled another in the sixth.
But Draper kept slugging away from the baseline and finally landed a big blow with a winner down the line on set point.
Rock legend and avid tennis fan Jon Bon Jovi, watching in the stands, rose from his seat to salute Draper's gritty fightback.
Draper had been living on a prayer for two sets and his luck ran out in the 11th game of the deciding set when Lehecka crushed a backhand winner to break.
Smashing his racquet into the advertising boards in frustration, Draper couldn't muster a response and Lehecka was soon celebrating his memorable success.
smg/pi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan carry injuries as Lions land in Australia
The British and Irish Lions touched down in Australia with head coach Andy Farrell revealing there are lingering injury concerns over Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan. Farrell's squad arrived into Perth after a 20-hour journey from Dublin via Doha ahead of Saturday's opening fixture on Australian soil against the Western Force. Advertisement There is doubt over whether Ireland duo Gibson-Park and Keenan will be able to take part at Optus Stadium because of respective glute and calf problems, but Scotland centre Huw Jones has recovered from an Achilles issue and is available. 'We'll see how they pull up in midweek,' Farrell said of Gibson-Park and Keenan. 'Huw Jones is good, he's been training. He trained fully with us last week so he's up and running.' Farrell confirmed that the team against Western Force will mostly be made up of players from Leinster, Bath and Leicester, who joined up with the Lions after last Saturday's United Rugby Championship and Gallagher Premiership finals. Advertisement There were no fresh injuries arising from Friday's 28-24 defeat by Argentina at the Aviva Stadium, with Farrell keen not to dwell on the disappointing tour send-off. Andy Farrell says the Lions will learn from their defeat to Argentina (Niall Carson/PA) 'We're here to build for what's going to be a fantastic Test series. We want to play some good rugby along the way,' he said. 'We'll find out more about each other as we keep on going. Of course we'll analyse what went on against Argentina and why, but that's all part of the journey – to understand where we need to go next. 'It's great to be here, this is what it's all about. We're here for a good time. Hopefully we can start this part of the tour off really well on Saturday.'
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🎥 Remembering when Arsenal sealed the PL title at Old Trafford
🎥 Remembering when Arsenal sealed the PL title at Old Trafford With the 2025/26 Premier League fixtures announced earlier this week, it's worth remembering that Manchester United vs Arsenal remains one of the standout games on the calendar. In fact, Mikel Arteta's side will open their account at Old Trafford on August 17, and while the trip comes early in the campaign, it's a ground where Arsenal have previously won the Premier League. Advertisement In May 2002, Frenchman Sylvain Wiltord scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Red Devils to seal the 2001/02 league title - a season in which Arsenal completed the domestic double, having won the FA Cup just days earlier. A mistake from United's Mikaël Silvestre allowed Wiltord to collect the ball in midfield. Arsenal's No.11 then picked out Freddie Ljungberg with an exquisite pass, before firing home the rebound after his teammate's initial effort was saved by United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez It was a decisive goal at a crucial moment for the Gunners, who secured the title that day before lifting the trophy a week later at Highbury following a win over Everton. Advertisement Can Arteta's side write their own history next season? 📸 PAUL BARKER
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Players will have to leave Manchester City this summer
As Manchester City bids to trim the size of Pep Guardiola's squad for next season, players will have to leave the Etihad this summer. It would seem to be a matter of time before players such as Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, James McAtee and Kalvin Phillips, for example, find new clubs. Outside of those four, it isn't immediately clear who will depart City this summer. Trying to work out who in Manchester City's Club World Cup squad will leave City this summer is no easy task. But new comments from Pep Guardiola do explain that players will definitely depart. It just may take most of the summer transfer window for that picture to become clear. Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that players have to leave Manchester City. Speaking ahead of Manchester City's Club World Cup Group G fixture against Al Ain, Pep Guardiola explained that he'd be happy to take his current squad into next season. But he added that it would almost be impossible to keep players happy if no player left the Etihad this summer. Speaking on the subject, Guardiola explained: 'I would love to have the players that we have right now all season. I love it. I don't have any complaint about the players, how they behave.' Advertisement 'The problem is that they will be unhappy during the season. They will be sad. They will be disappointed. I don't want that. For me, it's not a problem, I have more selection, but I don't like to have six or seven players or five players at home just in case there's no injuries.' 'I don't want a big squad for them, not for me, for them. So that's why we have to see what happens.' A host of players have stated their intentions to remain at the Etihad. John Stones has spoken of his desire to remain at Manchester City for next season. Ilkay Gundogan has also previously signalled his intent to remain at the club. It was previously believed that they could have been two prime candidates to leave the Etihad this summer. But as it stands right now, that may not occur. Advertisement Pep Guardiola's desire to work with a small squad is well-known. It has been a constant throughout his managerial career. To cater for that need of Guardiola's players will have to leave Manchester City this summer. But who that could be outside of the obvious candidates isn't an easy task to decipher. Perhaps who is selected to start for Manchester City during the FIFA Club World Cup could provide a clue as to who could leave City this summer. Perhaps not. But the obvious point is that players in Manchester City's FIFA Club World Cup squad will have to depart the club this summer. It's not a simple or obvious answer to figure out who that could be based on the stated intentions of players such as John Stones and Ilkay Gundogan to remain at the Etihad for next season.
