Match Report
\n Lehecka foils home hope Fritz with third-set Miami masterclass<\/p>\n
Czech will play Landaluce in QFs, Fils & Paul advance<\/p>\n
March 24, 2026<\/p>\n
Matthew Stockman\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Jiri Lehecka in action against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday in Miami.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Jiri Lehecka<\/a> delivered a stunning finish to crash the home party on Tuesday afternoon at the Miami Open presented by Itau<\/a>. <\/p>\n Taking on No. 1 American Taylor Fritz<\/a> at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the 21st-seeded Czech prevailed 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 to book his quarter-final spot. Lehecka bounced back superbly from the disappointment of losing the second-set tie-break, producing an overall Performance Rating of 9.53 in the third set (up from 6.98 in the second set and well above the Tour average of 7.29), according to TDI Insights. <\/p>\n Third set fire \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n Lehecka lights it up in the third set to take out Fritz in Miami\ud83d\udc4f#TennisInsights<\/a> | @atptour<\/a> | @MiamiOpen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/x01lI0jdZh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 24, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI think that for me the goal was to stay aggressive,\u201d said Lehecka, who red-lined his way to five of the final six games of the match. \u201cI thought in the second set, I kind of stepped back a little bit. In the end, I just felt that in the third set, if I wanted to beat a guy like Taylor, I just needed to go for it and be aggressive. I needed to show the courage that I wanted to win the point. That\u2019s what I tried to do, and it worked well.\u201d <\/p>\n With his two-hour, 20-minute victory inside Hard Rock Stadium, Lehecka became just the third Czech to reach the quarter-finals at both \u2018Sunshine Double\u2019 events (Indian Wells and Miami) after former Top 10 stars Petr Korda<\/a> and Tomas Berdych<\/a>. In his first Masters 1000 quarter-final since the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open<\/a>, he will take on Martin Landaluce<\/a>. The #NextGenATP Spaniard earlier downed Sebastian Korda<\/a> 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very happy with it. I always felt that I needed to make one more step to go far at a Masters 1000 since Madrid,\u201d said Lehecka after reaching the last eight. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be back in Miami. It\u2019s great to play well. I was not feeling good in Indian Wells, so I worked pretty hard in the first week here in Miami, during the practice week, to come back and find my game again. I\u2019m very happy that I did that. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very happy to win three matches in a row, and the third one against a player like Taylor. Top 10 guy, he\u2019s super experienced. He has played so many matches like this, so for me it\u2019s very good.\u201d <\/p>\n Lehecka has risen four spots to No. 18 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Miami so far. After earning his first Top 10 win of 2026 against World No. 7 Fritz, the 24-year-old Czech has also improved to 2-4 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the American. <\/p>\n Arthur Fils<\/a> also pulled through a three-setter on Tuesday, when the Frenchman overcame Valentin Vacherot<\/a> 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at Hard Rock Stadium for the second consecutive year. <\/p>\n Fils was clinical with his few chances on return to claim victory against Vacherot, who won 85 per cent (56\/66) of points behind his first serve in defeat, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 28th-seeded Fils converted two of his three break points to triumph in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Monegasque star. <\/p>\n The 21-year-old Fils has now reached five Masters 1000 quarter-finals. Former Top 10 player Richard Gasquet<\/a> is the only other Frenchman to have reached that tally before turning 22. Fils will next take on 22nd seed Tommy Paul<\/a>, who eased past 29th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry<\/a> 6-1, 6-3, as he bids to reach the semi-finals at a Masters 1000 for the first time. <\/p>\n