Jiri Lehecka had little time for regrets on Saturday as he battled for a fourth-round spot at Wimbledon against Tommy Paul.

The Czech was match point up in the fourth-set tie-break when he stopped play to challenge a forehand from his American opponent. Hawkeye went on to confirm the ball had clipped the line, Paul ultimately claimed the fourth set and the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting headed for a decider on No. 12 Court.

“My mind wasn’t in a good state at that moment, because the way I lost that match point was a mistake from my side,” Lehecka later told ATPTour.com. “I took a challenge to Hawkeye at a moment where it wasn’t necessary, and it was a big mistake… It was like an emotional crisis at that moment.”

There was a happy ending for Lehecka at SW19, however. The World No. 37 recomposed himself to complete a 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-2 triumph and reach the fourth round at the grass-court major for the first time.

“I didn’t really feel good [after the fourth set], I was already seeing myself winning that match,” explained the Czech. “But I knew that the only way to get through was to push myself to the limit, and to bounce back and to mentally recover in the beginning of the fifth set. That’s what I did during the toilet break, and the fifth set was good set from my side.”

Rollercoaster match! 🎢@jirilehecka in 5 sets defeats Paul 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-2 to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon for the first time!#wimbledon pic.twitter.com/k1ZRLhozGN

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 8, 2023

Lehecka’s triumph against the 16th-seeded Paul was in stark contrast to the two straight-sets wins with which he opened his Wimbledon campaign. The way he dispatched Sebastian Ofner and Eastbourne champion Francisco Cerundolo in south-west London was impressive for a young player who had played just two tour-level matches on grass prior to June.

“At the beginning of the grass court season, I was a bit more confident about myself,” explained Lehecka. “Because I already had that experience from last year when I lost a tough match here, but still played two tournaments on grass before. I knew what to do better, I knew where I needed to improve, and together with experience from my team and from myself, what I gathered this year, I felt that my game can fit very well on the surface. So far, it’s alright.”

Lehecka’s recent development has been bolstered by the presence in his corner of his countryman Tomas Berdych. The former World No. 4, who reached the final at Wimbledon in 2010, joined the 21-year-old’s team as a semi-regular coach earlier this year, and Lehecka believes the arrangement has been particularly beneficial for his grass-court game.

“The advice he gave me on this grass season was that it’s more about details, the game style and that these matches are not won by two or three things. There are a couple more things which are very important to keep my eye on during important moments. During tie-breaks, for example. Then of course, it’s very important to focus on my serve and return, even more than on clay or on hard courts, because these two shots are the most important shots in tennis, I would say, but moreso on grass.

“That led to us practising serving and returning a lot during last week and also this week. We were trying to work on specific serving methods. He was trying to do some different styles of serve for me, to [show me how to move] into the right position on return. So return and serve are two things we have focused on a lot here.”

Lehecka has now registered a personal-best 24 tour-level match wins this season and is up five places to No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his first-week exploits at Wimbledon — a mark that would be a new career-high in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Instead of thinking of his progress in milestones, however, the Czech remains determined to take things one small step at a time.

“I always try to do my best on court, and the ranking will come if I play good,” said Lehecka. “This is my mindset. I always try to win as many matches as I can, win tournaments. I go into every tournament with the mindset that I believe in myself and that I can win it. If I do it, then it’s good. If I win matches, then it’s also good. If I lose matches, then it’s not good. So it’s easy for me to say that I know that I have the level to be where I am.

“I’m really confident about going even higher. Of course I don’t want to speak about whether I will win Wimbledon or if I am one of the favourites. I just want to speak about my mentality, which is that I’m very confident about my game style.

“I think that my playing style fits very well on grass, and if I keep my mind sharp, and if I really try to do my best and I play every point as it allows, then I think that I have good that good chance to go even further in this tournament.”

Jannik Sinner overcame some testing moments to keep his Wimbledon title bid on track Sunday at the grass-court major, where the eighth seed held firm for a 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-3 fourth-round win against Daniel Elahi Galan.

The 21-year-old Sinner squandered five break points in the first set but kept his cool to claim an opening tie-break on No. 1 Court at the All England Club. He then reeled off seven games in a row from 2-4 in the second set to extinguish a promising Galan comeback, ultimately completing a two-hour, 36-minute triumph in which he won 85 per cent (41/48) of points behind his first serve.

Now into the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year, Sinner will take on Roman Safiullin next at SW19 after the World No. 92 defeated Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

More to follow…

Can Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek continue their standout season by capturing a second major team title?

The Croatian-American pair made a winning start at Wimbledon, where they defeated Indians N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round on Saturday. Second seeds Dodig and Krajicek, who won 84 per cent of their first-serve points to advance, will meet Robert Galloway and Lloyd Harris or Marcos Giron and Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.

Dodig and Krajicek have earned four titles this season, including last month at Roland Garros. They maintained their form to then win their first grass-court team title at The Queen’s Club and were finalists at the ATP 250 event in Eastbourne, where their 13-match winning streak was halted.

In other men’s doubles action, fifth seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez rallied to beat Frenchmen Gregoire Barrere and Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(10-5). The French-Mexican team will next face British wild cards Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson.

Carlos Alcaraz is brimming with confidence after escaping a stern challenge from Nicolas Jarry on Saturday at Wimbledon. On Centre Court, the Spaniard battled back from a break down in the fourth set to notch a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 victory and return to the fourth round for the second straight year on the London lawns.

“This match gave me a lot of confidence today,” the 20-year-old said in his post-match press conference. “I feel really comfortable on that court. I feel [I have] a lot of confidence right now.”

Alcaraz assessed the level of his opponent as worthy of a place in the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Spaniard himself entered Wimbledon as World No. 1. Should he go on to meet Novak Djokovic in the final, the top spot in the men’s game would be on the line.

Asked how he is handling the prospect of that potential final, Alcaraz admitted he hopes the marquee matchup comes to fruition.

“Not only tennis fans [and] sports fans want the final. Myself as well, honestly,” he said, before noting the long path he faces to reach that stage. “I have three rounds ahead. I’m really focussed on the next round. It’s [Matteo] Berrettini or [Alexander] Zverev. Both players have great tennis on grass.”

Later on Saturday evening, Berrettini wrapped up a 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) win against the 19th-seeded German.

“It’s going to be a really tough one,” Alcaraz said, before his opponent was confirmed. “But obviously my dream is to play a final here. Even better if it’s Novak.”

PASSED A TOUGH TEST 📝@carlosalcaraz fights past Jarry in an entertaining 4️⃣ set match 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5!Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon | #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/KgG1h6PwMY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 8, 2023

Last year in his first Wimbledon, Alcaraz reached the fourth round but was beaten by Jannik Sinner in what was his Centre Court debut. Now with two straight wins inside the storied stadium, Alcaraz is beginning to add his own chapters to the court’s legend.

“I watched a lot of videos, a lot of matches from legends playing on that beautiful court. Knowing that I’m going to be in the history, in the books, playing on that court for me is something I will never forget,” he said. 

“Honestly, on the side at 40-all when I returned the forehand, I remembered the first match that Roger Federer won on that court against [Pete] Sampras, winning with a return passing shot from the forehand. I remember every time. I said to myself, ‘I want to play that return every point.’

“It’s something that for me is crazy to remember, to live that experience as well.”

He’ll likely have another opportunity on Centre Court on Monday against Berrettini. With a win, he would be through to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.

It’s go time for Matteo Berrettini!

Having played just one match in the past three months coming into Wimbledon due to a stomach injury, the Italian needed only to return to the hallowed lawns of The All England Club to rediscover his best form.

Playing Alexander Zverev on No. 1 Court in a match that began with the roof open and concluded with it closed after a brief second-set downpour, Berrettini used his weight of shot on serve and from the baseline to overwhelm Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in two hours and 27 minutes.

“It must be something special about this place. I love to play here,” Berrettini said. “Last year I missed it unfortunately and I still didn’t heal from that withdrawal. This tournament changed my career, my life, it’s so special to be here.”

Zverev had eight service holds to love (including four straight to start the second set) but couldn’t put a dent in the Berrettini serve, earning just one break point chance for the match.

It was a devastating performance that will not have escaped the attention of top seed Carlos Alcaraz, whom Berrettini plays next.

Berrettini’s pulsating run, including strong wins over Lorenzo Sonego and Alex de Minaur spanning four days of play in the opening two rounds, is in stark contrast to his tepid first-round exit to Sonego in Stuttgart in what was hist first tournament since the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in mid April.

“I spent many days in my bed crying about not being able to play, so playing five days in a row is nothing,” Berrettini said. “I missed playing, I missed competing. I’m finding extra energy every day.”

A finalist in his last outing at Wimbledon in 2021, Berrettini missed last year’s tournament after testing positive for Covid-19. This year, he came into the tournament with a modest 7-7 record after an injury-interrupted season. In his only appearance on grass before Wimbledon, the 27-year-old eked out just three games against Sonego in the first round of Stuttgart.

Despite his struggles, Berrettini has stepped it up at the majors. He has now reached the second week in eight of the past nine Grand Slams he has contested, a run that includes three quarter-finals, the 2022 Australian Open semi-final and the ’21 Wimbledon final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Looking ahead to his clash with Alcaraz, whom he beat in a fifth-set tie-break at the 2022 Australian Open, Berrettini said, “The first time I played him two years ago I felt that this kid was special. He has won so much already. We’ve always had great matches so I’m really looking forward to that one.”

Did You Know?
On Saturday evening, both Berrettini and Zverev were near untouchable on serve. Zverev put 81 per cent of first serves into play and won 82 per cent of those points. Berrettini put only 68 per cent of first serves into play but won 86 per cent of those points.

Both men had impressive winners-to-unforced errors ratios: Berrettini 35-22; Zverev 34-23 in a reflection of the quality of the match. They made a combined 60 approaches to net.