The fantastic ride is not over! Jiri Lehecka advances to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open

Czech player Jiri Lehecka is performing incredible at the Australian Open. In the eighth round he defeated the third representative of the top 50 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he will challenge one of the pair Stefanos Tsitsipas (4th) and Jannik Sinner (16th).

The match against Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime (7th) was mainly a match in which the serve was the deciding factor. But it went fantastically well for Lehecek.

The Canadian did not enter the match with great form. He had a set taken from him in the previous rounds by clay players Cerundolo and Pospisil, and in the second round he was very troubled by Slovak Molčan, who was already leading 2-0 on sets.

Aliassime started the match well. In the third game, he got a rare break point and was able to convert it with ease. Lehecka couldn’t react to this break and the Canadian finished the first set 2-6.

But in the second set, the Czech talent showed his tremendous form with which he is playing his first Grand Slam of the season. With the loud support of the fans in the Margaret Court arena, who this time, unlike in the match with Norrie, were on his side, he managed to take the Canadian’s serve in the eighth game and levelled the score in the next game – 6-3.

In the third set, it was again a very even match. Lehecka worked out four break situations, but all of them were turned away by the year older Aliassime.

The third set came to the first tiebreak and it had a bit unexpected course. The Canadian didn’t manage to win the set at all and Lehecka took a 5-0 lead with a very confident return and managed to turn it into a 7-6(2) set win.

In the fourth set it was again an evenly matched battle of serves. Neither player earned a break point and there were many even exchanges. The tie had to be decided again in a shortened game.

In it, the decisive moment came on the third ball when Lehecka was under pressure from the Canadian and had to defend. However, a defensive lineout shot helped him and the Margaret Court arena began to cheer loudly – 7-6(3).

Jiri Lehecka then converted his first match point when he broke Aliassime and the twenty-one-year-old Czech’s run at this year’s Australian Open continues.

Lehečka will have to wait a little longer for his opponent, the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas (3rd) and Jannik Sinner (16th) will finish before 12 o’clock.

Jiří Lehečka (71st) – Félix Auger-Aliassime (7th, Canada) – 3-1 (4-6, 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(3))

Sources: Australian Open, Twitter