Diallo’s grass-court momentum stopped by Lehecka at Queen’s”
Jiri Lehecka defeated Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday afternoon and will face the winner of the match between Jacob Fearnley and French qualifier Corentin Moutet in the next round
Jiri Lehecka, 2024
Jiri Lehecka advanced to the quarter-finals of the Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club on Thursday, delivering a composed performance to defeat Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-2.
The Czech player, currently ranked No. 30 in the world, backed up his impressive win over fifth seed Alex de Minaur in the previous round with another efficient display on grass.
Diallo, ranked No. 44 and coming off his first ATP title last week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, struggled to find rhythm against Lehecka’s aggressive pace. Despite showing flashes of the form that brought him success in the Netherlands, the 22-year-old was broken early in each set and couldn’t claw his way back.
Lehecka faced no break point and converted three of his four opportunities, closing out the match in just over an hour. He advances to face either British wildcard Jacob Fearnley or French qualifier Corentin Moutet in the quarter-finals — a promising opportunity to continue his strong run heading into Wimbledon.
London ATP 500, other second-round results (Queen’s Club, grass, EUR 2.522.220, most recent results first):
- Reilly Opelka vs. Arthur Rinderknech
- Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jaume Munar
- Jacob Fearnley vs. Corentin Moutet
- Holger Rune (4) beat Mackenzie McDonald (Q): 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
- Brandon Nakashima beat Daniel Evans (WC): 7-5, 7-6 (4)
- Jack Draper (2) beat Alexei Popyrin: 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5)
- Roberto Bautista Agut beat Jakub Mensik (8): 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
