Carlos Alcaraz was stunned in the third round of the Miami Open (Image: Getty)
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been warned that their rivals are waking up, and it could signal the beginning of the end of their dominance. World No. 1 Alcaraz was stunned in the third round of the Miami Open last week, losing to Sebastian Korda. It’s been a tournament full of upsets, with Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur also among those who lost early.
Alcaraz led the top half of the draw as the No. 1 seed. But in his absence, two players remain in that top section – Jiri Lehecka and Arthur Fils. Both men are currently ranked outside of the world’s top 20, but Czech star Lehecka believes it’s proof that slightly lower-ranked stars can beat the biggest and best names on the tour.
“I think this shows that tennis is very strong right now, and all the guys are able to beat the top players,” the 21st seed said after beating qualifier Martin Landaluce in the quarter-finals. “Of course, we don’t see this often, maybe once in many tournaments over the last 52 weeks, that it becomes this extreme, with me being the highest seed in a semi-final or quarter-final.
“But I think all the matches were played well. There were no injuries in the top half, so it just proves that tennis is in good hands and the level is very high, even outside the top five or top 10.”
This is Lehecka’s second career Masters 1000 semi-final appearance. He previously reached the last four during the 2024 Madrid Open – another tournament marred by injuries. There, Sinner withdrew, citing a hip injury. Daniil Medvedev retired mid-match while facing Lehecka in the quarter-finals.
But Lehecka himself had to retire in the middle of his maiden Masters semi-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to a back injury. Now that he’s finally back into the last four at this level, the 24-year-old feels like a “completely different player”. He added: “Unfortunately, that week is still connected to my back injury. It wasn’t pleasant. I wasn’t even able to walk after that last match where I had to retire, so that was very tough.
Jiri Lehecka is through to his second Masters semi-final (Image: Getty)
“I’ve put myself in a position where I know I can stay around the top 20. From that spot, I felt I needed to put in more work to go further and get closer to the top 10. That became my goal. The difference now is that all the players know each other well. They know what to expect from me, and I know what to expect from them.
“We can prepare in a different way compared to facing someone new. This is something new for me, but at the same time it’s something I’ve been working toward for a long time. My game is there, and I believe I can go far in tournaments like this.”
Meanwhile, Alcaraz is well aware that players are bringing their A-game against him. During Indian Wells, he joked that he was “tired of facing Roger Federer every round”. After losing to Korda in Miami, the world No. 1 said: “Obviously, the players I’m playing against, I think they don’t have the same pressure (against me) that they usually get when they play another player.
“I’m feeling they have more to win than to lose in those matches. That’s why in some moments, or during almost the whole match, they’re playing without pressure. That’s the feeling that I get after every match.”
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Source link
