Cincinnati Open 2024: Daniil Medvedev vs Jiri Lehecka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Daniil Medvedev vs Jiri Lehecka
Date: August 14, 2024
Tournament: Cincinnati Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Ohio, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,795,555
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky UK | India - Sony Liv
Daniil Medvedev vs Jiri Lehecka preview
Fourth seed and 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev will start his campaign at this year's Cincinnati Open by taking on Jiri Lehecka in the second round.
Medvedev was last seen in action at the Canadian Open where he suffered an upset against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round. He got a bye in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open due to his high seeding. The World No. 5 has a record of 35-12 in 2024, the bulk of which came on the hard courts at the beginning of the year.
The Russian has an 18-5 record on the surface in 2024, including appearances in the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open finals and the Miami Open and the Dubai Open semifinals. His other notable results include a semifinal run at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Jiri Lehecka is making a comeback on the ATP Tour after an injury layoff which saw the Czech player retire from his semifinal clash against Fleix-Auger Aliassime at the Madrid Open. He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back that pushed him on the sidelines for almost three months.
While he was active on the tour in the early part of the year, Lehecka won the Adelaide International and reached a career-high ranking of 24 in the process. His other notable results included a quarterfinal run at the BNP Paribas Open. Upon his comeback, he defeated Mariano Navone in straight sets in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.
Daniil Medvedev vs Jiri Lehecka head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two players is tied at 1-1, with Lehecka having won the last match via Medvedev's retirement in the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open.
Daniil Medvedev vs Jiri Lehecka odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Medvedev is one of the most prolific hard-court players of the current era. 18 of his 20 titles have come on the surface, where the former World No. 1's win ratio is 75%. He won the 2019 Cincinnati Open by defeating David Goffin in the final. Overall, the Russian has a 71% win record at the tournament.
Lehecka, on the other hand, is a player who is still finding his footing on the ATP circuit. Both the Czech player's ATP finals appearances have come on the hard courts, though, including a triumph in Adelaide earlier this year.
Given that Lehecka is coming back from a serious injury while Medvedev is one of the favorites to win the title, the latter will be the outright favorite to win this match.
Pick: Medvedev to win in straight sets.