Alcaraz Bounces Back With Dominant Win To Reach Queen's Club QFs
Carlos Alcaraz bounced back with authority on Thursday at The Queen's Club.
Two days after the top seed was pushed to a final-set tie-break by Arthur Rinderknech, Alcaraz defeated 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-3 to reach his first grass-court quarter-final at the Cinch Championships.
"I'm really happy with the level that I played today. Jiri is a great opponent, great shots," the Spaniard said in his on-court interview. "He has a great game on grass. I'm really happy with the level. I think I had a really solid match. I played my game, I enjoyed playing here and I'm really happy with my first quarter-final here in Queen's."
The 20-year-old began the week with a 4-2 tour-level record on grass in his young career, but he is quickly finding his footing on the surface. Alcaraz won in one hour and 25 minutes to set a clash against former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, who closed Thursday's play with a 6-3, 7-5 win against eighth seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Question; can @carlosalcaraz win points in defence on grass❓????
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) June 22, 2023
Answer; yes ✅
46% #StealScore today vs Lehecka @QueensTennis #TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/bH0sh2ndYQ
Agasint Lehecka, there was one key moment of difficulty for the Spaniard. In the second set, he faced three break points at 3-1. But Lehecka missed a forehand return and mishit a short forehand to let slip two of his opportunities, then Alcaraz snuffed out the other with a forehand winner. Those were the only break points he faced in the match.
"After this match, after this level, the expectations change," added Alcaraz, who said he was feeling "really comfortable" on the London lawns. "I think I'm ready to do a good result here on grass. Playing my first quarter-final here, I'm going to enjoy it of course. It's a really beautiful place to play, so I'm enjoying every single second here and of course I will go into the next round with a lot of confidence and I will go for it."
Alcaraz is pursuing more than his first grass-court title this week. If he triumphs at Queen's Club, he will reclaim World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Novak Djokovic on Monday.