Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,855,495
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka preview
Alexander Zverev will lock horns with Jiri Lehecka in the first round of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Zverev's United Cup campaign ended in the group stage itself following defeats to Lehecka and Taylor Fritz. He earned a hardfought five-set win over Juan Pablo Varillas in the first round of the Australian Open. Although the German was favored to win against Michael Mmoh in the second round, he went on to lose in four sets.
Zverev was off to Davis Cup duty after that, where he defeated Stan Wawrinka, but lost to Marc-Andrea Huesler thereafter.
Zverev then competed in the ABN AMRO Open and won against Kwon Soon-woo in the first round. He was knocked out by Tallon Griekspoor in the second round. The 25-year-old next lost to Andy Murray in the opening round of the Qatar Open.
Lehecka, too, competed in the United Cup at the start of the year. While he won against Zverev, he lost his singles tie against Fritz. The following week, he made it to the second round of the ASB Classic.
The 21-year-old reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open. Lehecka then won both of his Davis Cup matches and advanced to the semifinals of the Qatar Open following that.
The Czech youngster was up against Andy Murray and even held five match points in his Doha semifinal match, but came up short in the end. Lehecka is now set to make his debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka head-to-head
Lehecka leads Zverev 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 United Cup in straight sets.
Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Following a lengthy injury layoff last year, Zverev is still trying to return to the form that propelled him to the top of the game. While he continues to improve step by step, he's nowhere close to his best yet.
The German's serve is quite inconsistent and he is often on the backfoot during rallies as well. It won't be easy for Zverev to go toe-to-toe with an in-form opponent such as Lehecka.
The Czech, on the other hand, continues his steady rise to the top. He has performed quite well this year and even has a couple of top-10 scalps to his name. Lehecka is quite fearless with respect to his ball-striking and isn't afraid to go for his shots with gusto.
Lehecka could carry some baggage from last week's loss to Murray, where he wasted five match points. His shotmaking could be a little tentative, which could give Zverev enough of an opening to inflict some damage.
But Lehecka seems to be progressing impressively and regrouping after a tough loss is part of the process. The 21-year-old is likely to make it past Zverev quite comfortably.
Pick: Jiri Lehecka to win in straight sets.