Arthur Fils Vs. Jiri Lehecka, Jannik Sinner Vs. Alexander Zverev

Jiri Lehecka vs. Arthur Fils

Once upon a time, when the Miami draw was made, this match was going to pit Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic. But Djokovic dropped out, Alcaraz misplaced to Seb Korda, and now we’ve got an surprising encounter between the twenty first and twenty eighth seeds.

If Lehecka-Fils would not have the starry shine of Alcaraz-Djokovic, it is nonetheless a match that is smart for the boys’s tour. The Czech, 24, and the Frenchman, 21, have every persevered by means of latest again accidents and continued to climb the rankings. In half due to these accidents, neither is as excessive up the charts as he ought to be. Their performances in Miami will change that, and making a primary Masters 1000 closing is the logical subsequent step for each of them.

They’ve performed 3 times, all on onerous courts, and Fils has gained twice. Two of the matches went to 6-4 within the third—Fils gained by that rating in Davis Cup in 2024, Lehecka did the identical in Toronto final summer time.

In their very own methods, every is among the sport’s spectacular ball strikers.

Lehecka, within the custom of his Czech fellow Tomas Berdych, does it with beautiful, ultra-clean timing on each of his floor strokes, in addition to his serve. He wins 75 % of his first-serve factors, and averages greater than eight aces a match. Not unhealthy for a man who’s solely 6’1.