Lehecka surrenders to Alcaraz: "Today I faced his Grand Slam version"
The Czech admitted the difference in level between them, stated that he had a good match, and praised Carlos's ability to raise the level in critical moments.
Carlos Alcaraz took down Jiri Lehecka as his latest victim on his imperial path through New York. The Spaniard, who is now in the semifinals of the US Open 2025, completely nullified the will and resistance of the Czech player, who despite showing flashes of great tennis, was overpowered by a top-notch performance from the world number two, with composure and consistency as his guiding forces.
It is no coincidence then that Jiri Lehecka himself appeared at a press conference with a downcast demeanor, yet not overly frustrated with his performance. He lost in straight sets but exhibited heart, fighting spirit, and, above all, acknowledged Carlos Alcaraz's ability to raise his game in crucial moments. Reflective, he refrained from being overly critical, admitting that especially under pressure, the gap between them remains quite substantial.
- What made the difference today for Alcaraz to prevail in three sets
"Let's say today I faced the 'Grand Slam' version of Carlos. That's how I'd like to think of it because it was a tough match. We know that Jannik and he, along with Novak at Grand Slams, are the three toughest guys to beat. Today he showed why he is one of the title contenders. Everyone knew it, and today he proved it again. Honestly, I don't think it was a poor performance on my part. I feel good: the most important things he needed to do, he did better than me. Against Carlos, if you want to beat him, you need to prevail in at least some crucial points... and today he won them all. Even when I had a good rally, when I tried to put pressure on him, come to the net, or change the pace, do something, he was always there with an answer to everything I attempted.
Of course, I must say he served better and was more solid on the return. He was very consistent in his return games, knew exactly what he wanted to do with the ball, managing to put me under pressure on many occasions when I wasn't serving well. If I want to beat someone like him, I need to showcase my best version in crucial points because every time I had an opportunity (for example, in the second set, in a tight game where I was close to a break point, he executed a great exchange), we played a great rally, and he was everywhere. He always managed something special. So, even though I didn't play poorly, he always found solutions. That, at times, was devastating".
- How do you mentally digest the fact that you are executing your tactical plan but still not reaping any rewards
"It's not easy to digest. When you come to a match with a plan and execute it correctly but lose in critical moments the way I did today, I'd say it's quite frustrating to applaud Carlos every time he hits a great shot because for him, it's just normal. It's difficult to play against that: every time there was a crucial moment, even giving my all, he raised his game. He was a bit quicker, anticipated a bit better.
Responding to that was hard: it was my first match at Arthur Ashe, and I must say I was a little nervous at the start. I had only played in this stadium for practice, without fans. It's tough to face Carlos: in Grand Slams, he knows he has more sets to find his rhythm, so he plays with a bit more freedom in his tennis. When I played a good point, I couldn't win those points, and that's something I wasn't accustomed to in previous rounds".
- Second time in Grand Slam quarterfinals: what makes you most satisfied
"The fact that in the first two matches I came back and won despite not feeling great on the court. I wasn't happy with my performances but was pleased with my fighting spirit, my ability to bounce back and win. From that point on, very happy with my consistency. I won four matches against tough opponents, and that makes me proud. I am very happy with how I played when I was the favorite and at the same time, how I reacted in times when I didn't feel like myself because that's not something I've done well in the past two years. I learned to rise when things aren't going well, to not put myself under too much stress. That has certainly helped me".
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Lehecka se rinde a Alcaraz: "Hoy me enfrenté a su versión de Grand Slam"