Félix Auger-Aliassime now knows his opponent in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters. This is the Czech Jiri Lehecka, who took advantage of the retirement of the Russian Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Medvedev, 3rd player in the world, withdrew after losing the first set 6-4. He had left the field with a therapist for several minutes while leading 3-2.
When he returned, the Russian was clearly not at ease. Injured in the right thigh, he retired after being knocked down by Lehecka, 31st in the ATP.
In the previous round, the robust Czech with a powerful serve, capable of exceeding 230 km/h, brought down Rafael Nadal for the Spanish champion’s very last participation in the Madrid tournament. At 22, Lehecka appeared in the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 for the first time.
Auger-Aliassime lost in his only meeting against the Czech so far, in the round of 16 of the Australian Open in 2023. The match lasted four sets of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and 7-6 (7/3) spread over more than three hours.
The Quebecer obtained his place in the semi-finals on Wednesday with the withdrawal of the Italian Jannik Sinner, 2nd racket in the world, injured in his right hip.
The other semi-final, also played on Friday, will pit the Russian Andrey Rublev, 8th player in the world, against the American Taylor Fritz, ranked 13th.
With information from Agence France-Presse
2024-05-03 04:00:23
#Medvedev #withdraws #AugerAliassime #face #Lehecka #semifinals #Madrid
