Carlos Alcaraz has won his fourth ATP grass-court title after beating Jiri Lehecka to win the HSBC Championships at Queen’s.
The world No.2 defeated the unseeded Czech 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2, to claim his second Queen’s title after 2023. Becoming the 12th man in the Open Era to have won multiple titles at the event. Alcaraz secured glory with the help of 33 winners and he won 87% of his first service points. He has won five titles so far this season with his other triumphs being at two Masters 1000s (Monte Carlo and Rome), an ATP 500 in Rotterdam and the French Open.
“It’s really special this trophy and this tournament. I’m happy to lift this trophy once again,” said Alcaraz.
“It has been an incredible week. I came without expectations and just wanted to play good tennis and to get used to the grass,” he added.
Eager to avenge his loss to Lehecka earlier this year at the Qatar Open, Alcaraz matched his rival game-by-game throughout the opening set. The first 10 games went with serve before the top seed got his breakthrough. Reading the Lehecka serve better as the match progressed, Alcaraz piled pressure on his rival who hit a backhand error followed by a forehand error to get broken. Serving for the opener, the Spaniard converted his first set point with a serve out wide that drew another mistake from across the court.
It was a similar pattern in the second set with both players standing firm behind their serve without facing a break point. However, it was the Czech world No.30 who had the edge after squeezing through a tightly contested tiebreak. Twice Lehecka had a break advantage but lost it due to some impressive play from Alcaraz. Nevertheless, he earned a set point after the five-time Grand Slam winner hit a double fault. Serving to draw level, Lehecka fired an ace down the centre of the court.
Despite the underdog’s valiant effort, Alcaraz came roaring back. Four games into the decider, the top seed hit a deep shot that triggered an error from the Czech which rewarded him a break for 3-1. Closing in on victory, he converted his first match point after a Lehecka backhand crashed into the net.
“Before the match, I spoke with Samuel (Lopez), my coach. We had a goal which was to compete, play a few matches and feel great. To have confidence on the grass and I had nothing else to be worried about,” Alcaraz told the BBC.
“Being in the final was a gift for me so I just tried to enjoy the moment.
“The final was not controlled all the time and I lost the second set but told myself ‘It’s ok, let’s keep it going.'”
Alcaraz heads into Wimbledon on an 18-match winning streak. He has won 29 out of 32 Tour-level matches played on the grass so far in his career and has only been defeated by a player outside the top 20 once. That was against Jack Draper at Queen’s last year.
“Wimbledon is really special. I think every player feels how special it is,” he said.
“I’m super excited to play my first match on Center Court once again. It’s going to be a beautiful moment.
“I think this tournament (Queen’s) and lifting this trophy is the best preparation I could have asked for and I will try to keep up the good work.
“Two weeks is long, I will try to start the tournament in a good way and let’s see how far I go.”
The Spaniard will be bidding to win his third consecutive Wimbledon title. A milestone that has only been achieved by Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras over the past 30 years.
