Carlos Alcaraz-conqueror Jiri Lehecka dicloses truth behind how he managed to stun the Spaniard in Qatar Open upset
Jiri Lehecka spoke about his impressive win over top seed Carlos Alcaraz at the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open on February 20. The unseeded Czech registered his first win over a top-3 player.
Lehecka won the first set 6-3 before top seed Alcaraz fought back to take the second set 6-4 and force the match into a decider. The Czech found himself a break down in the final set but later won four successive games to register a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win and a place in the semifinals of the Qatar Open. It's also his first win over the World No. 3.
After the victory, the World No. 23 shared his viewpoint on the match and gave insights on what made him successful in defeating Carlos Alcaraz despite the odds stacked against him.
"I think the most important part was I believed in my game and did not back down. Even when I was missing shots in the third set, I wanted to play my game style, be an aggressive player and push him to his limits. I was just waiting for the right moment to put all these things together and it happened when I broke him back in the third set," Lehecka remarked.
After his defeat to Jiri Lehecka, Carlos Alcaraz has 11 wins out of 13 matches so far in 2025, having won the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. The Spaniard previously beat Marin Cilic and Luca Nardi in Doha.
After defeating Carlos Alcaraz, Jiri Lehecka will face Jack Draper in the semifinals of the Qatar Open 2025
After registering the biggest win of his career so far against Carlos Alcaraz, Jiri Lehecka will face Jack Draper in what will be his second semifinal of the 2025 season. Draper, who is the eighth seed at the Qatar Open, booked his place in the semifinals with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over an in-form Matteo Berrettini in the last eight.
Lehecka, who has won 13 out of 15 matches so far in 2025, faced the Brit twice in 2024, beating him in the final of the Adelaide International. However, Draper won the most recent encounter between the two at that year's Paris Masters.
Whoever wins, will face either fifth seed Andrey Rublev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final of the Qatar Open on February 22.