Alcaraz beats Lehecka to seal second Queen's title

World number two Carlos Alcaraz held off a battling Jiri Lehecka to seal his second Queen's title with victory in an enthralling final on Sunday.The Spaniard won 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to win his 21st career title but was pushed hard by the in-form Lehecka, who was one of only five players to have beaten Alcaraz this year.Lehecka had seen off British number one Jack Draper in the last four to secure his place in the final and initially looked unable to deal with the quality of Alcaraz in the first set.But a much closer second set went the distance, with Lehecka overcoming the disappointment of being lobbed after a superb drop shot in the tie-break to then serve an ace and level the match.Alcaraz, though, showed why he is such a formidable opponent as he recovered from that disappointment to step it up a gear in the third, breaking early on his way to securing the match and the title.It was an 18th match win in a row for Alcaraz and a fifth title in 2025 to ensure he goes into the defence of his Wimbledon title as a player in form.

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Glasgow Times

16 minutes ago

• Glasgow Times

Carlos Alcaraz had ‘no expectations' ahead of tennis grass season

The Spanish top seed regained his crown as the King of Queen's Club and replicated his debut triumph of two years ago with a 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory. Alcaraz lifted the trophy just a fortnight after his epic five-set victory over Jannik Sinner in the final of the French Open. The 22-year-old made the tight turnaround from clay to grass look simple, even though he took time out for a holiday in Ibiza before heading to London. 'It's really complicated, the switch from clay to grass in just few days, because that's the time I had before the tournament began,' he said. 'Just two days of practising and then I had to compete here. So I came here with no expectations at all. 'I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and, you know, give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better. 'So what I'm more proud about this week is th e way that I have been improving every day. You know, since the first day until today, I think I'm a different player on grass. I just got used to it really quick.' Jiri Lehecka was the first Czech finalist in 35 years (Adam Davy/PA) It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz – in his fifth consecutive final – following his title successes in Rome and Roland Garros. World number 30 Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990. The 23-year-old played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful groundstrokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tie-break. But Alcaraz did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title, proving he will be the man to beat at SW19 again with a stylish win in two hours and eight minutes. Alcaraz celebrated with the ballkids (Adam Davy/PA) There will be no trip to the party island to celebrate this one, though. 'I wish,' he smiled. 'I'm a player who needs days off, days to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind. I need that, and the good thing is that I know that. 'The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I'm not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy, I mean, be more hungry to play again. 'So that was really helpful for me. I'm not going to say that I won the tournament because of Ibiza, but, after this tournament, I can't go back home. I'm going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy London a little bit. 'I'm going to have my days off to rest up, to enjoy, and then be back and preparing Wimbledon the best way possible.'

BreakingNews.ie

28 minutes ago

• BreakingNews.ie

Carlos Alcaraz had ‘no expectations' ahead of tennis grass season

Carlos Alcaraz said he had 'no expectations' coming into the grass-court season but he installed himself as a clear favourite to retain his Wimbledon title after beating Jiri Lehecka to win the HSBC Championships. The Spanish top seed regained his crown as the King of Queen's Club and replicated his debut triumph of two years ago with a 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory. Advertisement Alcaraz lifted the trophy just a fortnight after his epic five-set victory over Jannik Sinner in the final of the French Open. keep smiling @carlosalcaraz 🙌 @QueensTennis | #HSBCChampionships — ATP Tour (@atptour) June 22, 2025 The 22-year-old made the tight turnaround from clay to grass look simple, even though he took time out for a holiday in Ibiza before heading to London. 'It's really complicated, the switch from clay to grass in just few days, because that's the time I had before the tournament began,' he said. 'Just two days of practising and then I had to compete here. So I came here with no expectations at all. Advertisement 'I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and, you know, give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better. 'So what I'm more proud about this week is the e way that I have been improving every day. You know, since the first day until today, I think I'm a different player on grass. I just got used to it really quick.' Jiri Lehecka was the first Czech finalist in 35 years. Photo: Adam Davy/PA. It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz – in his fifth consecutive final – following his title successes in Rome and Roland Garros. World number 30 Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990. Advertisement The 23-year-old played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful groundstrokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tie-break. But Alcaraz did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title, proving he will be the man to beat at SW19 again with a stylish win in two hours and eight minutes. Alcaraz celebrated with the ballkids (Adam Davy/PA) There will be no trip to the party island to celebrate this one, though. 'I wish,' he smiled. 'I'm a player who needs days off, days to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind. I need that, and the good thing is that I know that. Advertisement 'The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I'm not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy, I mean, be more hungry to play again. 'So that was really helpful for me. I'm not going to say that I won the tournament because of Ibiza, but, after this tournament, I can't go back home. I'm going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy London a little bit. 'I'm going to have my days off to rest up, to enjoy, and then be back and preparing Wimbledon the best way possible.'

The Independent

29 minutes ago

• The Independent

Stand-in captain James Anderson sees Lancashire frustrated by Kent and weather

Stand-in Lancashire captain James Anderson saw his side frustrated by Kent and the weather as there was an early finish to a rain-hit opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match in Blackpool. England's all-time leading wicket-taker Anderson has been handed the captaincy for Lancashire's next two games, with Marcus Harris having returned to Australia for the birth of his second child. Hopes of making early inroads at Stanley Park, though, were scuppered as Kent – put into bat – pushed on to 213 for three through 57.4 overs before play, having already seen a delayed restart to the afternoon session, was eventually called off for the day at 5.30pm. Kent opener Ben Compton was unbeaten on 86, with 10 boundaries, while Zimbabwe batter Tawanda Muyeye had earlier made 63 off 95 balls. George Balderson finished the day with two wickets, while Anderson went for 36 runs off his nine overs which included four maidens. All eyes at Chester-le-Street were on the return of Jofra Archer to first-class action for Sussex in their Division One match against Durham. England bowler Archer – who last played in a red-ball match for Sussex more than four years ago following a litany of injuries – made a swift late cameo with the bat, chalking up 31 off 34 balls as the visitors reached 322 for nine on the back of a fine unbeaten 117 from James Coles. Durham bowler Bas de Leede took four for 83 from his 21 overs. It was an emotional day at Bristol for Gloucestershire, where tributes were paid to David 'Syd' Lawrence, who has died at the age of 61 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year. Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to play for England, took 625 wickets in 280 matches during a 16-year career at Gloucestershire. A minute's silence was held before the start of the Division Two match against Derbyshire, with players wearing black armbands. Derbyshire took control after Gloucestershire were bowled out for 187, only captain Cameron Bancroft showing some resistance with a half-century, as Jack Morley took six for 55. The visitors ended the day at 116 for two, with Harry Came unbeaten on 29. Elsewhere in Division One, leaders Nottinghamshire reached 298 for six against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. Opener Ben Slater fell just short of a century on 96, while Ishan Kishan was 44 not out at stumps on his Nottinghamshire debut. Champions Surrey took control against Worcestershire at New Road. Worcestershire, who sit bottom of the table, won the toss and went in to bat, but were dismissed for 209, Matthew Waite making 68, as Matt Fisher and Jordan Clark both took three wickets. At stumps, unbeaten Surrey had reached 47 without loss from 15 overs. An unbeaten century from Charlie Allison, 101 not out, and a resolute 71 from Matt Critchley helped Essex make 292 for eight against Hampshire at Chelmsford, where Kyle Abbott took three wickets. Somerset made a strong start against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, finishing the opening day 327 for three. Tom Kohler-Cadmore (104) made a century, sharing a first-wicket stand of 186 with fellow opener Josh Davey (67) – only to then swiftly head back to the pavilion a couple of overs later. In Division Two, Glamorgan ended at 305 for five against leaders Leicestershire at the County Ground. Asa Tribe, 21, scored his maiden first-class century with 107, hitting 14 boundaries and one six. Middlesex piled on the runs at Northamptonshire. An unbeaten 106 from Joe Cracknell and half-centuries from Leus du Plooy (66) and Luke Hollman (51) saw the visitors make 397 for eight. Liam Guthrie picked up a six-wicket haul for 87 runs off his 19-over spell.