Jiri Lehecka shocks Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati | ATP Tour

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Lehecka surprises Medvedev in Cincinnati

The Czech will face Tiafoe, who eliminated Musetti

August 15, 2024

Jiri Lehecka scored a surprise win against former World No. Daniil Medvedev. 1 on Wednesday evening in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.

Medvedev, the 2019 champion, came to Ohio hungry for performances and an uptick in form after exiting the opening round in Montreal. But instead, Lehecka, who before Cincinnati had not played since Madrid because of a back injury, came out victorious 7-6(2), 6-4.

“It’s amazing to be back, to be honest,” said Lehecka in his courtroom interview. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played on the big stage, so I enjoyed every minute of it today. To get a win and such a good player, a talented player like Daniil, is a bonus for me.”

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

– ATP Tour (@atptour) August 15, 2024

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

Medvedev, who fell to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Montreal, won just 44 percent of his forehands according to Infosys ATP Stats and hit seven double faults, including a critical one when facing a break point at 3-3 in the second set. When he missed the second serve, the crowd fell silent.

Lehecka played fearless tennis, hitting 17 winners to capitalize on her chances. This year’s Adelaide champion wrote a fitting message on camera after the game: “I’m back!”

Lehecka, who is 5-14 against Top 10 opponents, will next play favorite Frances Tiafoe. The American ousted Italian in 14th form Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-2.

“He worked really well today. I was a bully, I played too deep, too deep,” said Tiafoe in his court interview. “But the only thing is that I tried to find him early. He’s played a lot of different places, he’s been playing a lot of tennis lately. I know obviously he’s trying to reach his peak at the US Open, but I thought I had to come out hot and play as fast as possible. I came up big today and I think it really bothered him.”

Tiafoe faced a tough challenge against the Paris Olympics bronze medalist, and he rose to the occasion. World No. 27 did not face a break point to go ahead after 68 minutes.

“I know you’re fresh off the Olympics, so these are the type of matchups you want,” Tiafoe said. “I’ve been on hard courts since Atlanta, I’ve been playing better every week. I thought that was the big difference today.”