Lehecka reaches first Masters semi-final, as ailing Medvedev retires with injury

Jiri Lehecka has advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final at the Madrid Masters, but it wasn’t the way he would have preferred.

The 22-year-old Czech moved through when Daniil Medvedev was forced to retire from Friday’s quarter-final after dropping the opening set, 6-4. The 30th-seeded Czech will face unseeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals on Friday at the Caja Magica.

Third-seeded Medvedev appeared to be suffering from a groin injury, and wasn’t the same player after he returned from an off-court medical timeout during the changeover after the fifth game of the match.

At the conclusion of the first set Medvedev shook his head and went to the net to tell Lehecka he would not be able to continue.

Lehecka is riding a high in 2024. He reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells in March, and defeated five-time champion Rafael Nadal in the previous round in Madrid. He will rise to No 22 in the ATP live rankings with his win.

More to follow…

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