New Delhi: Jack Draper is through to his first final of the season after defeating Jiri Lehecka in the semi-final by 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 at the Qatar Open on Friday, February 21. Draper produced another brilliant performance to beat Lehecka. The World No. 25 stunned Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final and looked on course for another win when he won the first set.
The British No.1 required a tie-break to get the match back on level terms before he showcased his class in the decider to win the match. Both Lehecka and Draper battled hard for their last eight victories, but it did not prevent a high-quality semi-final match. Draper failed to take his chances in the opening set and lost his early break lead at 3-1 in the second set, but he showed great resilience to fight back.
Both players were locked at 2-2 in a second set tie-break but Draper secured five consecutive points from 2-2 to force the decider. In the third set, Lehecka’s double fault on break point at 3-3 gave Draper the platform to push on and he held once again before claiming a third break of the match, edging out his Czech opponent in two hours and 23 minutes to reach the final.
After the match, Draper said that at the end of last year, he started to pick up some real momentum and was playing good tennis. The British No.1 further added that he was building it and then all of a sudden he couldn’t play for about a month due to a hip injury.
Jack Draper to face Andrey Rublev in the Qatar Open final
Andrey Rublev beat Felix Auger-Aliassime by 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5) in another semifinal of the Qatar Open on Friday. The 27-year-old Rublev is a former world No.5 with 16 ATP titles to his name and has defeated Draper in their previous three meetings, with their last match coming at the US Open in 2023.
Jack Draper defeated Jiri Lehecka by 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the semifinal and will face Andrey Rublev in the Qatar Open final on Saturday. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
