In-form Carlos Alcaraz reaches Queen's final, Jiri Lehecka downs Jack Draper
LONDON - Carlos Alcaraz swept past fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut on June 21 to stretch his winning streak and set up a Queen's Club final against Czech Jiri Lehecka.
Top seed Alcaraz, 22, had too much firepower for his 37-year-old opponent during a 6-4 6-4 victory, his 17th successive win and the 250th of his career.
British fans had hoped to witness a final showdown between Alcaraz and home favourite Jack Draper, but Lehecka ripped up that script with superb 6-4 4-6 7-5 defeat of the second seed.
Lehecka, 23, is the first Czech man to reach a top level grasscourt final for 15 years.
'It means a lot. You don't meet a player like Jack every day, he's an amazing competitor,' Lehecka said.
Alcaraz, Queen's champion in 2023, was stretched to the absolute limit against compatriot Jaume Munar earlier in the week during a tussle lasting more than three hours.
But he was more comfortable against Bautista Agut, who provided stubborn resistance but never really looked like springing an upset on a sultry afternoon in west London.
An early break of serve in each set proved sufficient for Alcaraz, who reached his fifth final in a row.
'I'm feeling I'm playing great tennis and feeling more comfortable,' said Alcaraz, who won his fifth Grand Slam title this month at the French Open.
'I love stepping on court and love playing with a smile on my face. That's why I'm making good results.'
Lehecka silences crowd
Earlier, world number 30 Lehecka silenced the crowd by beating Draper, whose run to the semi-finals means he will be seeded fourth at Wimbledon which starts on June 30.
Second seed Draper, bidding to follow in the footsteps of five-times Queen's champion Andy Murray, dropped his opening service game and Lehecka barely a put a foot wrong as he took the first set in clinical fashion.
Left-hander Draper saved a break point early in the second set and broke fellow 23-year-old Lehecka's serve for the first time in the 10th game to level the match.
Both players were rock solid on serve in the decider with Lehecka having the first chance of a break at 4-4 but Draper survived to pile the pressure on his opponent.
Lehecka did not flinch, though, and broke serve at 5-5 with two stunning passing shots, one a forehand and then a backhand, to leave Draper smashing his racket in rage against a court-side electronic advertising board and receiving a code violation.
Lehecka still needed to hold his serve to reach the final and he did so in style, roaring his delight after clinching his first victory against a top-10 player since beating Alcaraz in Doha in February.
The last Czech man to reach a top-level grasscourt final was Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon in 2010 and the last to do so at Queen's was Ivan Lendl in 1990.
Draper said he would take a few days off to recover from tonsillitis.
'I'm proud of the way I went about things, considering, but it's tough,' Draper said. 'My main goal is to go into Wimbledon as prepared as possible and as fresh as possible.' REUTERS
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