Lehecka says Draper “was the better player for almost two sets” after Adelaide final
Jiri Lehecka praised Jack Draper’s level after winning his first ATP title at the Adelaide Open on Saturday, saying the Brit played “top five” tennis
Jiri Lehecka
(AI/Reuters/Panoramic)
This Saturday saw 22-year-old Jiri Lehecka win his first ATP title against Jack Draper 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Adelaide Open in Australia.
After lifting the trophy, the Czech player had a confession to share.
“In my opinion he was the better player for one and a half sets, almost two sets,” Lehecka said after the match. “I wasn’t playing bad, but I would say I played top 10, he played top five sometimes.”
Pivotal moment in match was “big amount of luck”
Lehecka’s comments aren’t simply humility: he’s right.
Draper was superior for large swathes of this match. The Brit may not have been having his best serving day, but he still managed to put far more pressure on Lehecka’s serve, generating multiple break points consistently across the opening set and a half.
This all turned when Lehecka struck a stunning volley and came back from 0-30 down to win five games on the bounce–a volley that the Czech says was predominantly luck.
“Honestly I think it was just quick reaction and big amount of luck at the moment,” Lehecka explained.
“I don’t really think that luck wins you the match, but at this moment, it helped me a lot because even if you try to hit a shot like that, it’s so hard to achieve it. Luck helped me at the moment.
“Right after that moment, I played well. I hit an ace. I managed to go through that game. I took the chance. That’s part of the sport,” he continued.
“I never doubt about my game at the moment, and I just knew that the time will come, and 5-4, second set, two mistakes, and two times I played well. That was the moment where I just showed that the patience helped me a lot, and third set was a battle.”
At career high, Lehecka looks forward to Australian Open
With his first ATP title under his belt, Lehecka now heads to Melbourne where he’s a defending quarter-finalist at the Australian Open.
“There’s something special about Australia everywhere,” said Lehecka. “Doesn’t matter if it’s here, Perth or Melbourne. I feel great. It’s just the conditions, people, everything, weather. It suits me well here.
“I feel great, and hopefully I can continue my good form in Melbourne and win a few matches and hopefully defend points for Melbourne.”
Lehecka faces Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the first round at Melbourne Park as the No 32 seed, before a potential third round meeting against 2020 Australian Open semi-finalist Alexander Zverev.
