Matching Report
Lehecka passes Cilic’s test in Belgrade: ‘He hasn’t forgotten to play’
Medjedovic, Djere advance to strong indoor ATP 250 field
November 05, 2024
Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour
Jiri Lehecka advances to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final of the 2024 Belgrade Open. (file photo)
By ATP staff
Jiri Lehecka made a statement against Marin Cilic on Tuesday at the Belgrade Open to serve up some Czech history.
The fourth seed cruised to a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory, becoming the first Czech player to reach seven ATP Tour quarterfinals in one season since Tomas Berdych in 2017. By winning one hour, 43 minutes. , Lehecka extended his overall record against opponents outside the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings to 8-0.
“He never forgot how to play,” Lehecka said of Cilic, the former World No. 3. “We saw that today was a good test for me. It’s always a good win against an experienced player, a Grand Slam champion, so I’m very happy.”
Lehecka was ruthless throughout the match, where he scored 89 points (33/37) after his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. In the last eight, the 22-year-old will face Lukas Klein, who upset seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 7-6(8).
Elsewhere, Hamad Medjedovic continued his return to form with a hard-fought victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic to reach his third straight quarter-final. The wild card didn’t face a single break point, en route to a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory.
Say hello to your first quarter-finalist in Belgrade 👋 🇷🇸@MedjedovicHamad reaches his 3⃣rd ATP QF with straight sets win over Kovacevic 7-6(5) 6-4#Belgrade Open pic.twitter.com/G1xWG6keMl
– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 5, 2024
“I was a little tight in my first game [against Brandon Nakashima],” said Medjedovic, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by the PIF champion. “But now I’m in a rhythm, I feel good about the home team and I’m enjoying it a lot.”
Medjedovic will face third-seeded Francisco Cerundolo or Roman Safiullin, who is coming off a 50th-round win over Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3.
On a day of Serbian success, Laslo Djere won the battle for two wild cards with an emphatic 6-4, 6-4 victory over Stan Wawrinka. The 29-year-old, who picked up his third straight home win, will face loser Duje Ajdukovic in the second round.
