Carreño Busta beats Lehecka in straight sets, the third seed out of the men’s draw in two days
Pablo Carreño Busta, a former world No. 10 who was ranked No. 876 less than two years ago, beat 12th seed Jiří Lehečka 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3 – his first top-20 win in two years and the third men’s seed out in 48 hours.
Jiri Lehecka, Roland-Garros 2026 | © Chryslène Caillaud / PsNewz
Pablo Carreño Busta, the former world No. 10 who had to rebuild from the third hundred of the rankings two years ago, beat 12th seed Jiří Lehečka 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3 on Court 6 on Monday to move into the second round of Roland-Garros. It was the 34-year-old Spaniard’s first win over a top-20 player in two years, and it added a third seed to the men’s casualty list inside the opening 48 hours of the tournament.
The contest tightened in the second set. Carreño Busta took it 7-3 in a tie-break that ended any realistic Lehečka comeback, then broke twice in the third to close out the match in straight sets. The Czech, who beat the Spaniard in straight sets in their only previous meeting on hard court in Dubai earlier this year, found the clay a different surface – Carreño Busta was contesting their first meeting on his preferred surface, and the rebalancing was visible from the opening exchanges.
The world No. 89 had been ranked 876 less than two years ago, a number that reflected a serious injury layoff. The route back has run through the Challenger Tour, and the player who emerged from it is the same one who reached the Roland-Garros quarter-finals in 2017 and 2020 – careful from the baseline, patient, comfortable on a slow surface.
The win sends Lehečka home as the third seed to fall at this tournament, after Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry (No. 23) and the United States’ Taylor Fritz (No. 7) went out on Sunday.
Carreño Busta will face the winner of the meeting between Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis and France’s Térence Atmane in the second round.
Men’s Singles matches – Monday, May 25, 2026
• Court Philippe-Chatrier
U.Humbert (32) vs A.Mannarino — UPCOMING
H.Gaston (W) vs G.Monfils (W) — UPCOMING
• Court Suzanne-Lenglen
A.Rinderknech (22) – J.Rodionov (Q): 7⁷-6⁵, 6-2, 6-3
D.Merida vs B.Shelton (5) — UPCOMING
• Court Simonne-Mathieu
S.Wawrinka vs J.De Jong (L) — LIVE
C.Ruud (15) vs R.Safiullin (Q) — UPCOMING
• Court 14
A.De Minaur (8) – T.Samuel (Q): 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
F.Cobolli (10) vs A.Pellegrino (Q) — UPCOMING
• Court 7
E.Spizzirri vs F.Tiafoe (19) — LIVE
I.Buse vs A.Rublev (11) — UPCOMING
• Court 6
P.Carreno Busta – J.Lehecka (12): 6-3, 7⁷-6³, 6-3
T.Kokkinakis vs T.Atmane – UPCOMING
• Court 4
M.Navone vs J.Brooksby — UPCOMING
F.Cerundolo (25) vs B.Van De Zandschulp — UPCOMING
• Court 5
P.Marcinko vs E.Lys
E.Nava (Q) vs C.Ugo Carabelli – UPCOMING
Y.Wu vs M.Giron – UPCOMING
• Court 8
L.Van Assche vs V.Gaubas (L) – UPCOMING
J.Munar vs H.Hurkacz – UPCOMING
Court 9
R.Bautista Agut vs B.Nakashima (31) – UPCOMING
R.Collignon vs A.Vukic – UPCOMING
Court 12
A.Michelsen – A.Shevchenko: 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
A.Kovacevic vs R.Jodar (27) – UPCOMING
Court 13
M.Fucsovics vs M.Berrettini – UPCOMING
R.Hijikata vs T.Paul (24) — UPCOMING
