Latest news with #IvanLendl
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Alcaraz beats Lehecka in Queen's final to send Wimbledon statement
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz edged powerful Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2 to claim his second Queen's Club title and send out a powerful statement ahead of his Wimbledon defence on Sunday. Spaniard Alcaraz, who triumphed at Queen's a few weeks before claiming his first Wimbledon title in 2023, extended his winning streak to 18 matches but was pushed hard by Lehecka who underlined his own credentials as a rising force. Alcaraz, 22, pounced at 5-5 to break the Lehecka serve and duly bagged the opening set in 45 minutes. Lehecka, bidding to become the first Czech to win the Queen's title since Ivan Lendl in 1990, continued going toe-to-toe with the five-times Grand Slam champion and edged the second-set tie-break with some clinical tennis. Alcaraz had more in his locker though and forged 4-1 ahead in the decider as Lehecka's level finally began to drop on a breezy Andy Murray Arena in west London. He then broke the 23-year-old Lehecka's serve again to complete victory, letting out a roar of a delight as Lehecka struck a backhand into the net. While Alcaraz will be seeded number two at Wimbledon behind Jannik Sinner as he bids for a hat trick of titles there, he will arrive in red-hot form and as overwhelming favourite. He has won 27 of his 28 matches since April, his lone loss coming against Holger Rune in the Barcelona final, and Sunday's win was his fifth title this year. "This is really special this trophy and this tournament for me," Alcaraz said on court as he clutched the huge piece of silverware. "Jiri had an incredible week and his level is very high and it's a nightmare to play against you." Lehecka, whose ball-striking and physique are not dissimilar to Lendl's, beat home favourite Jack Draper in the semifinals on Saturday and began full of confidence against Alcaraz whom he beat at the start of the year in Doha. With serve dominating on the slick lawn, there was nothing between the players until Lehecka made a couple of errors at 5-5 and Alcaraz needed no second invitation to take the set. The second set followed a similar pattern but it was Lehecka who raised his game in the tiebreak to get a mini-break ahead. Alcaraz replied to win a sensational point at 3-4, sprinting to retrieve a drop shot and then back to chase down a lob. But Lehecka did not flinch and banged down an ace. Alcaraz double-faulted at 5-5 and then Lehecka levelled the final. Lehecka was unable to carry that momentum though and Alcaraz quickly re-established control and surged to victory. "The goal this week was just to compete and have a few matches on the grass and this final was a gift for me," Alcaraz said. "I just enjoyed the moment and the final, I felt like I was in control most of the time."
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Alcaraz Beats Lehecka In Queen's Club Final Ahead Of Wimbledon Defense
Carlos Alcaraz showed he will be the man to beat at Wimbledon again after defeating Jiri Lehecka in the final at Queen's Club on Sunday. The top-seeded Spaniard replicated his debut triumph on the grass courts of west London in 2023 with a 7–5, 6–7 (5), 6–2 victory. It was an 18-straight match win for Alcaraz – in his fifth consecutive final – following his title successes in Rome and at the French Open. 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 Lehecka played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful ground strokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tiebreaker. But Alcaraz, the defending Wimbledon champion, did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title and second at Queen's. Wimbledon starts June 30.
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Clunky Jack Draper needs Sir Andy Murray's chess-like ingenuity
'The more grand slams I play and the more big matches I play, I'll learn from them and won't make the mistakes that I did today.' So said the British tennis player who had suffered an unexpected loss at a major. Not Jack Draper, as it happens, but his friend and occasional mentor Sir Andy Murray, who made this comment an hour or so after going out of the 2008 Australian Open at the hands of an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. I mention the quote because Draper's surprise defeat on Monday felt so reminiscent of that period circa 2008-10 when Murray was generally ranked at No 4 in the world – the same position that Draper is likely to be in when the new chart is published on Monday. It was a development phase for Murray, who then played a canny but slightly conservative baseline game based on working his opponents around the court and eliminating his own chances of error. While most observers accepted that Murray trailed behind Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and perhaps Novak Djokovic, he was supposed to beat the likes of Tsonga, Marin Cilic, Fernando Verdasco and Stan Wawrinka, all of whom knocked him out of hard-court majors in this era. The big shift began on New Year's Eve 2010, when Murray announced the appointment of Ivan Lendl as his coach. From that moment, he made a mindset change. He began to bully opponents with his serve and forehand, and eventually opened his grand-slam account in September 2012. Now, I am not suggesting that Draper needs a so-called 'super-coach' like Lendl. He has James Trotman in his corner – not a great player, admittedly, but a wise and cool-headed character who has steered Draper's progress admirably to date. But there are always lessons from the sorts of defeats that Draper suffered on Monday against the instinctive brilliance of Alexander Bublik. And in his case, we are talking about an ability to react more nimbly and speedily to his opponent's pattern of play, rather than showing his bafflement by yelling at his player box as he did here. The only real criticism anyone could have of Draper and his team was that they looked surprisingly unprepared for Bublik's feathered drop shot. It's hardly news that Bublik loves that play. Could Draper have done more to adjust his own position on the court? Could he have tried to gamble earlier in the rallies? During his post-match press conference, he intimated a faint sense of regret. 'Was [Bublik] playing that way because I was allowing him to maybe play that way? I'm not sure.' While Draper is a burlier and more powerful figure than Murray, he is also a more manufactured tennis player. He lacks his predecessor's fluidity and feel, as well as his chess-like ingenuity on the court. Bublik took full advantage of these minor weaknesses with a perfectly honed gameplan which, at times, made Draper look clunky, heavy-footed and predictable. Alexander Bublik with a terrific return to take the second set over Jack Draper 🔥 #RolandGarros — TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 2, 2025 And yet, just like with Murray 15 years ago, Draper is smart and self-aware enough to go away and analyse the footage. He will learn to change up his patterns more quickly when under pressure, and to deal with the mental stress of facing red-lining opponents. Even when faced with such overwhelming quality, Draper still had five chances to break as Bublik served for the match. Unfortunately, he played tight-armed, safety-first points on the first two when one haymaker of a forehand might have turned the match. This is another quality that champions learn: the knack of finding the right shot at the right time. The great ones have an almost supernatural ability to find the lines on the most important points. Will Wimbledon provide another breakthrough? Now Draper moves on to the grass, a surface where he feels much more comfortable – yet still hasn't made much of an impact at Wimbledon to date. Drawn against defending champion Novak Djokovic on his 2021 Centre Court debut, he was eliminated by 19th seed Alex De Minaur a year later before missing 2023 with a torn shoulder tendon. Only last year, when Draper went down in straight sets to compatriot and regular practice partner Cameron Norrie, did he have any reason to be disappointed. This was another match where a tactical adjustment might have helped, because Draper – who again turned in bafflement to his player box – was spraying too many errors and needed to dial back his ambition. You might argue that I am contradicting myself here, by calling Draper too passive against Bublik and too aggressive against Norrie. But then, that is the beauty of tennis: different opponents pose different questions, and the challenge is to adapt on the day. Draper certainly absorbed the lesson of last year's Wimbledon exit. His refusal to give away cheap points over the past year has been an important factor in his rise up the rankings. He will learn from Monday's Bublik masterclass too, and come back stronger.
