Alcaraz beats Lehecka in Queen's Club final ahead of Wimbledon defense
LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz showed he will be the man to beat at Wimbledon again after defeating Jiri Lehecka in the final at Queen's Club on Sunday.
The top-seeded Spaniard replicated his debut triumph on the grass courts of west London in 2023 with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory.
It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz — in his fifth consecutive final — following his title successes in Rome and at the French Open.
Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990.
The 23-year-old Lehecka played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful ground strokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tiebreaker.
But Alcaraz, the defending Wimbledon champion, did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title, and second at Queen's.
Wimbledon starts June 30.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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