ARTHUR FILS VS JIRI

 

JIRI LEHECKA VS. CARLOS ALCARAZ

 

INDOMITABLE SINNER OBLITERATES LEHECKA TO REACH FRENCH OPEN FOURTH ROUND

Reuters 

PARIS - World number one Jannik Sinner delivered a flawless performance to pulverise Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-0 6-1 6-2 in little more than 90 minutes on Saturday, to burst into the French Open fourth round and issue a ominous warning to other title contenders.

The 23-year-old Italian, who returned to tennis in May after a three-month-doping ban, won the first 11 games in a row, and has so far found no resistance en route to the last 16.

He has yet to drop a set in his second tournament back, after reaching the final in Rome earlier in the month.

"Today I was playing really, really well," Sinner said. "He was serving very well and brave. But I am very happy.

"My coach had (his) birthday yesterday and usually when he has birthday I don't play good. Luckily I was not playing yesterday."

"This morning I said to my team I feel well," he added. "I warmed up feeling really well, trying to go on court with a good focus. My team gave me the right tactics. It is a combination also being happy on court."

Sinner exploded into action, racing through the first set with a bagel in 25 minutes.

The Czech was left stunned, wondering how to counter such power and precision, but before he came up with any answer he was already trailing 3-0 in the second set.

Pinned to the back, Lehecka could only watch how Sinner's shots flew past him, including a sensational baseline forehand winner that earned the Italian a 4-0 advantage.

The 23-year-old world number 34 earned a big cheer when he finally got onto the scoreboard at 5-1 but his ordeal was far from over.

Sinner served out the second set before proceeding to break shell-shocked Lehecka at the very start of the third.

Running his panting opponent ragged, Sinner earned another break and put him out of his misery with his first match point.

The top seed has now stretched his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 17 matches, after winning the titles at the 2024 U.S. Open and the Australian Open in January prior to his doping ban.

He will next face 17th-seed Andrey Rublev, who advanced after his opponent Arthur Fils of France withdrew with a back injury.

- Karolos Grohmann

NOVAK DJOKOVIC PUBLISHES PROOF OF HIS INJURY IN HOSTILE MESSAGE TO CRITICS AFTER CONTROVERSIAL AUSTRALIAN OPEN EXIT

Djokovic/X

Novak Djokovic responded to critics by sharing an update on the injury that forced him to retire mid-match during his 2025 Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev. Many had accused him of faking the injury.

Djokovic was chasing his 25th Major title in Melbourne, aiming to surpass Margaret Court's record. While not the favorite to win initially, he started strong, defeating Nishesh Basavareddy, Jaime Faria, Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka, and Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semifinals, where he faced Zverev.

Getty 

After losing the first set 6-7(5) to the German, the former World No. 1 experienced worsening pain in his leg and retired, completely drained. He had already raised concerns during his match against Carlos Alcaraz, where he took an extended medical timeout, and the injury ultimately became a hurdle he couldn't overcome.

Later, Novak Djokovic took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update, posting a picture of an MRI scan of his left hamstring. In the caption, he wrote:

"Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there."

Getty

John McEnroe among those who questioned Novak Djokovic's Australian Open injury situation.

- Pritha Ghosh

NOVAK DJOKOVIC REFUSES POST - MATCH INTERVIEW AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN AFTER ACCUSING HOST BROADCASTER OF 'MOCKING SERBIAN FANS'

Novak Djokovic reacts after beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)

Novak Djokovic set up a blockbuster Australian Open quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz but refused to do a post-match interview because of a row with the host broadcaster.

Djokovic has been riled by some of the fan behaviour at Melbourne Park and he was booed after declining to answer questions from former champion Jim Courier on court in the customary manner following his 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Jiri Lehecka, instead briefly thanking supporters for coming.

But the 10-time champion revealed in his post-match press conference that his ire was not directed at the crowd but at broadcaster Channel 9 following an incident ahead of his third-round match when presenter Tony Jones mocked a group of chanting Djokovic fans behind him by singing, “Novak is overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out”.

“A couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” said Djokovic.

“And, since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So, since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.

“I have nothing against Jim Courier or neither the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It’s unfortunate. I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously wasn’t the time and space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing right now.

“I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit.”

It was an unexpected denouement to what had been a positive match for Djokovic, who looked sharp against in-form 24th seed Lehecka.

Now he and coach Andy Murray must prepare for by some distance the biggest match of the tournament so far against third seed Alcaraz on Tuesday.

Djokovic insisted the dispute does not add extra motivation, saying: “I’m very determined already. (I am) not using this to fuel my fire more.”

He added that he was willing to accept a fine for his stance, saying: “I feel like this is something that needs to be done.”

It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP)

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

Alcaraz only had to play two sets on Sunday because of the retirement through injury of Jack Draper.

The third seed, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.

“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.

“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.

“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”

The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.

The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEATS JIRI LEHECKA IN STRAIGHT SETS AND WILL FACE CARLOS ALCARAZ IN LAST EIGHT OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Novak Djokovic celebrates beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)

Novak Djokovic will take on Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Alcaraz benefited from Jack Draper’s retirement after two sets of their clash before Djokovic defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4).

It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

Djokovic, under the guidance of his long-time rival Andy Murray, began the tournament slowly, dropping sets against unfancied Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria.

Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP)

But he stepped up a level against Tomas Machac in round three, and he played an impressive match against another Czech in 24th seed Lehecka.

The only slight blip came at the start of the third set, when he broke serve only to be broken straight back, while Djokovic again seemed unhappy with the behaviour of some of the crowd.

The 37-year-old refused to do the customary post-match interview, instead taking the microphone to thank fans for coming, prompting loud booing on Rod Laver Arena.

There were plenty of Serbian flags evident in the stands, and it will be interesting to see who the crowd favours when Djokovic takes on Alcaraz

The Spaniard, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.

Carlos Alcaraz, left, has won back-to-back Wimbledon finals against Novak Djokovic (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.

“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.

“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”

The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.

The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.

- Eleanor Crooks in Melbourne

TSITSIPAS HOPES EMOTIONS OF 2023 WILL BOOST AUSTRALIAN OPEN TITLE BID

Reuters 

Stefanos Tsitsipas hopes to tap into "big moments" from his 2023 Australian Open campaign to fuel his quest to reach back-to-back finals, the Greek seventh seed said after easing past Frenchman Luca Van Assche to reach the fourth round on Friday.

The 25-year-old fell to 10-times champion Novak Djokovic in the title clash last year, but not before winning an epic five-setter in the fourth round against young gun Jannik Sinner and impressive displays against Jiri Lehecka and Karen Khachanov.

Tsitsipas, who eased past Frenchman Van Assche 6-3 6-0 6-4 and takes on American 12th seed Taylor Fritz next, said he would use the emotions he felt last year to mentally prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

"I approach these situations and these experiences with a lot of humility and I'm always trying to get them better. What I mean by that is make them more emotional and create a bigger glory mentally in my mind," Tsitsipas told reporters.

"These moments are glorious, especially when you're able to overcome them and win matches to go to the next sort of level of yourself as a tennis player and they count a lot for me."

NOVAK DJOKOVIC LEADS SERBIA INTO UNITED CUP QUARTERFINALS

Reuters 

Novak Djokovic helped Serbia advance to the United Cup quarterfinals and a date with host Australia.

Serbia beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Tuesday in Perth to win Group E. Djokovic held off Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-1 but the Czechs leveled with Marketa Vondrousova's 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 defeat of Olga Danilovic. Danilovic paired with Hamad Medjedovic for the decisive 4-6, 7-5, 10-8 win in mixed doubles over Petr Nouza and Miriam Kolodziejova.

ALCARAZ SAILS THROUGH QUEEN'S CLUB QUARTERS | FRITZ KNOCKED OUT

Reuters

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the quarter-finals of the Queen's Club Championships after he beat Jiri Lehecka 6-2 6-3 on Thursday but third seed Taylor Fritz was knocked out by Adrian Mannarino.

Alcaraz is playing on grass for the first time this week since his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon last year and he is slowly getting to grips with the unfamiliar, faster surface.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS VS. JIRI LEHECKA | AO 2023