As Jack Draper has spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season, Jiri Lehecka had bulldozed everything in his path. After two tension-filled hours, their form was reflected in the scoreline as the unseeded Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the final and deprive him of a shot at competing for a first title on home soil.
Although he competed brilliantly throughout the week, navigating two tough three-set wins over Alexei Popyrin and Brandon Nakashima, Draper has struggled as he continues to adjust to grass after a successful clay season and he has looked vulnerable in each match.
Lehecka, however, had been the outstanding performer this week, defeating the fifth seed, Alex de Minaur, in the opening round before continuing to march through the draw. His massive first serve and clean, destructive forehand dominated much of the match and he outplayed Draper for significant stretches, earning him a well-deserved first final on grass.
On a stifling day in west London, with temperatures scaling 30C before cooling, Draper set the tone with a dire opening service game, punctuating a series of forehand errors with a double fault on break point as he immediately lost his serve.
While Draper floundered, Lehecka was flawless throughout the set. He served well, hitting his spots and he marched through his own service games with ease. He also dominated the baseline with his forehand, attacking without hesitation. He refused to allow the British No 1 any hope of establishing himself in the set.
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Roundup: tough draw for Raducanu, Vondrousova vanquishes Sabalenka
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Emma Raducanu has been handed a testing draw at the Eastbourne Open, where she is expected to make a return after managing a back problem that has troubled the British No 1 since she competed in Strasbourg last month, before the French Open.
The 2021 US Open champion took an off-court medical timeout during her quarter-final loss to Zheng Qinwen at Queen’s Club last week, after which it was confirmed she would miss this week’s Berlin Open, having been offered a wildcard.
Seeded seventh in the draw for Eastbourne, Raducanu has been drawn against the American Ann Li in the first round, with the two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur her likely second-round opponent. Daria Kasatkina, the Australian world No 16 and last year’s Eastbourne winner, is a potential quarter-final opponent.
The former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova upset Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, to reach the final of the Berlin Open. The unseeded Vondrousova came through 6-2, 6-4 against Sabalenka to progress to a first final since her victory at SW19 in 2023.
The Czech, who has been working her way back from shoulder surgery, has seen her ranking drop to 164th. “I didn’t play for a long time. I am just happy to be back healthy, and so grateful to play these matches,” Vondrousova said on the WTA Tour website.”When I saw the field here, I was like: ‘OK, let’s just try to win the first round,’ and then, you know, now this is happening.”
The 25-year-old will play Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu in the final. The world No 49 beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 to make her first WTA singles final. PA
Draper’s serve has been his saving grace, keeping him competitive when he has often struggled with his forehand. He served immaculately throughout the second set, finally putting Lehecka under pressure on his own service games, and his resilience was finally rewarded as the Czech threw in his first poor service game at 4-5, relinquishing the break in the process.
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Encounters between two excellent servers on grass often do not lead to a particularly thrilling match-up, but it makes the decisive moments even more tense. After both players had breezed through their service games early in set three, Draper blinked first. As his first serve deteriorated, Lehecka snatched the decisive break for 6-5 with a searing backhand winner.
Draper finally boiled over and he responded to the break by smacking his racket against the interactive screen on the side of the court, momentarily disabling it. Although Draper regained his composure and fought until the end, Lehecka coolly closed out an excellent win.
This report will update after the second semi-final
