Paris Masters 2024: Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka
Date: October 28, 2024
Tournament: Paris Masters 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Accor Arena, Bercy, Paris
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Hard-court (Indoor)
Prize Money: €5,950,575
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka preview
Jack Draper will take on Jiri Lehecka in the first round of the Paris Masters on Monday (October 28). The winner of the match will take on fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the second round.
Draper has had a decent 2024 season so far, winning 36 out of 57 matches, triumphing at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart while reaching the semifinals of the US Open. The Brit is currently competing at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where he is seeded seventh. He started the tournament with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over Kei Nishikori before defeating Luciano Darderi 7-5, 6-1 to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Here, Draper fought off Tomas Machac 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to set up a semifinal showdown with sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti. The Brit put in a dominant display to beat the Italian 6-2, 6-4 and reach his third final of 2024.
Jiri Lehecka has won 28 out of 45 matches so far in 2024, winning the Adelaide International while reaching the semifinals of the Madrid Open and the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He also reached the final of the European Open earlier this month.
After this, Lehecka competed at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, which is his most recent on-court participation. The Czech faced Pedro Martinez in the first round and the Spaniard started the match strongly by taking the first set 6-2. Martinez continued his dominance in the second set to register a 6-2, 6-2 win and eliminate Lehecka.
Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka head-to-head
Lehecka leads 1-0 in the head-to-head between the two, having beaten Draper 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Adelaide International.
Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka odds
All odds sourced from BETMGM.
Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Draper's recent run of form makes him the favorite ahead of the match but Lehecka has produced some impressive performances so far in 2024 and he is capable of giving the Brit a run for his money.
The Brit has a pretty impressive first serve that has fetched him 45 aces at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. He also won 164 out of 205 points (80%) on his first serve. The World No. 18 has also produced 129 winners compared to 85 unforced errors. Draper is a fine aggressive player and has a pretty effective forehand that he will look to make the most out of. His net game will also come in handy.
Lehecka has had decent first-serve numbers in his last six matches on indoor hard courts, winning 164 out of 220 points on it (74.5%) while serving 42 aces. The Czech has also produced 130 winners, which is slightly higher than his unforced-error count of 128. That said, he cannot afford to have too many of the latter against a player of Draper's quality.
Lehecka is a solid hitter of a tennis ball and will look to attack from the start of the match. However, the Czech has to be careful not to over-hit his shots.
If Draper is able to be solid defensively and have a check on his unforced errors, he should be able to defeat Lehecka and reach the second round of the Paris Masters.