Jiri Lehecka flies to final in Miami as Jannik Sinner awaits

In the first semifinal of the Miami ATP (the second Masters 1000 of the season), Jiri Lehecka, the number 21 seed, overwhelms Frenchman Arthur Fils (number 28 in the seeding) with a clear 6-2 6-2 in one hour and fifteen minutes, thus winning the first Masters 1000 final of his career.

The Czech started off strong right away: after missing two chances, he took advantage of the third to break his opponent’s serve in the opening set (the first break suffered by Fils in the tournament) and immediately consolidated his lead by going up 2-0. The Frenchman tries to stay hooked thanks to the service-right combination (2-1) and progressively grows in the exchange, but Lehecka is flawless on the serve turnovers. With great continuity from the baseline, the Czech accelerates again, builds the break of 5-2 and closes the first set 6-2 taking advantage of a forehand error by his rival.

In the second partial, Fils opens with the 1-0 lead, but the turning point comes already in the third game: Lehecka, more solid and incisive, forces the error with the backhand longline and places the break of 2-1. The No. 21 extends to 3-1, while the Frenchman, canceling two balls of the possible 1-4, manages to come back up to 3-2. The reaction stops there, however: Lehecka continues to lead, holds serve with authority for 4-3 and, at the end of a hard-fought game, snatches the serve again for 5-2 thanks to a winning cross-court backhand. In the final game she recovers from 15-30, gets match point and closes with an ace for the final 6-2.