ATP MADRID – Jiří Lehečka (22) improved his maximum at the Masters in Madrid for the second time. In the third round, the best Czech in the ATP ranking beat the hot qualifier Thiago Monteiro (29) 6:4, 7:6 and can look forward to a prestigious meeting with five-time champion Rafael Nadal (37). Jakub Menšík (18) also tried to advance to the top sixteen, but lost to Félix Auger-Aliassime (23) at 1:6, 0:1.
Lehečka – Monteiro 6:4, 7:6
Jiří Lehečka will attend his first tournament in Madrid after a month-long break caused by a back problem, and he has already improved his maximum twice in Caja Mágica. While he took a beating in the opening match against Alexander Ševčenko on his debut last year, this year he did not allow a set to Hamad Medjedović or hot qualifier and clay specialist Thiago Monteiro.
With the defeater of former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, he also won the third duel in two sets. In the opening act, he dominated the serve and had to solve the only complication in the final game, but he averted the break point with a great serve and completed the set.
He started the second set with a break, but in the fourth game he lost his lead and finally took the set in a tie-break with a ratio of 9:7. In the shortened game, he did not use two match points in a row, had to eliminate a set point and converted only the third chance to end the match.
The best Czech in the ATP rankings will aim for his fourth quarterfinal this year on Tuesday. In Adelaide, he worked his way up to his only triumph so far on the highest circuit, and he did not succeed in Dubai or at the Masters in Indian Wells.
He is within reach of his second quarter-final appearance at the prestigious 1000. In the round of 16 tournaments of this category, he has a half success rate of 1:1, last year he was not enough to beat Taylor Fritz on clay in Monte Carlo, and this year he beat Tsitsipas in Indian Wells.
Match statistics. (@livesport)
Nadal – Cachín 6:1, 6:7, 6:3
In the round of 16 of the Mutua Madrid Open, he will challenge the five-time champion Rafael Nadal, the clay king and 14-time French Open champion confirmed his role as the favorite in the third round in a duel with Argentine Pedro Cachín and won 6:1, 6:7, 6:3 after more than three hours.
“There were good and bad moments.. But I found a way to move on. In the third set I was able to be unpredictable despite some mistakes,” commented on the physically demanding match Nadal, who is playing only his third tournament since last January and will probably end his highly successful career after the season.
“I’m taking it day by day. I’ll see how I wake up tomorrow. But I’m enjoying playing at home, it means a lot to me. Tomorrow is another day to dream and play in front of an amazing crowd.” added the winner of 22 Grand Slams, who is in the top sixteen in Madrid for the eighteenth time in a row and will be aiming for his 17th quarter-final overall.
Menšík – Auger-Aliassime 1:6, 0:1 / draw
In his debut at the Masters in Madrid, Jakub Menšík played his first event after more than a month’s break. He has been absent from the circuit in recent weeks due to an injury to his right arm as well as school duties. In the Spanish capital, he shone with the scalp of world top ten Grigor Dimitrov, but he was unable to follow up on him and did not improve his maximum in the thousands again.
The 18-year-old Czech was not in his best form since the beginning of the third round match with Félix Auger-Aliassim, as he had problems with his right hand again. Against the former world No. 6, he hit only one winning shot in the opening set, and at 1:6 and 0:1, when he was losing by a set and a break, he decided to scratch the match.
The minor will now have more than a seven-day break. Next week, another Masters event starts in Rome, the last big general for the clay peak of the French Open season. The talented teenager should perform in the main competition in the Italian capital.
Auger-Aliassime, who has been in crisis for over a year and recorded his first three-match winning streak of the year, will try to equal his best at the Mutua Madrid Open in a showdown with Casper Ruud.
After his most valuable triumph at the 500 in Barcelona, the Norwegian tennis player continues his winning campaign at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, in the 3rd round he defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6:2, 6:4, extended his unbeaten streak to 7 matches and 14 sets and scored already the 31st victory of the season.
7-match winning streak @CasperRuud98 comes through in style vs Norrie, 6-2 6-4!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/10N1WnvSqg
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 29, 2024
Results of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid
Article originally published for Livesport News.
2024-04-29 20:15:00
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