Lehecka Hits Career High, Mover Of Week
Next Gen ATP Finals alumni Sebastian Baez and Jiri Lehecka enjoyed strong runs at the Winston-Salem Open to earn themselves a pre-US Open boost in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of 28 August 2023.
No. 29 Jiri Lehecka, +6 (Career High)
The 21-year-old Lehecka fell just short of his maiden ATP Tour crown in Winston-Salem but has nonetheless risen to a career-high No. 29. The Czech, who also reached the final at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals, defeated the in-form Max Purcell en route to the championship match at the ATP 250 before falling to Baez.
No. 23 Borna Coric, +6
The top seed in Winston-Salem, Coric’s run to his third tour-level semi-final of the season has boosted his chances of a swift return to the Top 20 after he dropped out last week. Baez edged the Croatian in a deciding tie-break to claim a three-hour, 19-minute last-four epic in North Carolina, but Coric will be happy to have gathered some momentum ahead of his US Open campaign.
No. 31 Sebastian Korda, +2
There was a bittersweet end for Korda in Winston-Salem, where the American saved match point to down Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals but was then forced to withdraw from the event due to an ankle injury sustained during his win against the Frenchman. Korda earlier dispatched Benjamin Bonzi and Marton Fucsovics in straight sets at the ATP 250, and next faces a rematch with the latter in the US Open first round.
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No. 32 Sebastian Baez, +10
The 22-year-old Baez became just the fourth player to win at least three tour-level titles this season with his Winston-Salem triumph, joining Carlos Alcaraz (6 titles), Daniil Medvedev (5) and Novak Djokovic (4) on that list. The Argentine showed few signs of fatigue after his semi-final marathon with Coric, easing past Lehecka in the championship match to extend his winning streak to 10 matches.
No. 43 Max Purcell, +4 (Career High)
Australia’s Purcell backed up his quarter-final run in Cincinnati with another last-eight appearance in Winston-Salem. The 25-year-old upset second seed Tallon Griekspoor in the third-round for his 11th win (including qualifying matches) in August. Although Lehecka proved too strong in the quarter-finals, Purcell has risen four spots to a career-high No. 43.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers No. 24 Tallon Griekspoor, +1 (Career High) No. 55 Richard Gasquet, +2 No. 68 Brandon Nakashima, +4 No. 75 Dominik Koepfer, +3 No. 85 Yosuke Watanuki, +3 (Career High) No. 89 Michael Mmoh, +5 No. 93 Juan Manuel Cerundolo, +7
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