Carlos Alcaraz overcomes 'nightmare' opponent Jiri Lehecka to seal second Queen's crown ahead of Wimbledon tilt

Carlos Alcaraz beat Jiri Lehecka in the final to claim his second Queen's title, as he continued his impressive career record on grass. The Spaniard was taken to a deciding set by the 23-year-old after losing a second-set tie-break, but stormed to the finish line to win his 18th match in a row and third tournament on the spin ahead of his Wimbledon title defence.

'It affects me a lot' - Alcaraz opens up on 'dangerous' social media abuse

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Carlos Alcaraz beat a valiant Jiri Lehecka in three sets to win the title at Queen’s - but afterwards declared his vanquished opponent a "nightmare" to face.

The Spaniard made it three tournament wins in a row as he got his grass-court season off to the perfect start, beating Lehecka 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2 in Sunday’s final.

Having now won 18 matches on the spin, the 22-year-old is in sensational form heading into his Wimbledon title defence, which begins a week on Monday.

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However, Alcaraz was made to work for his second Queen’s title, having been taken to a deciding set after losing out in a second-set tie-break.

Speaking afterwards on court, the world No. 2 said: "I have to say, Jiri, an incredible week, honestly, your level is really high, it’s a nightmare playing against you.

"Great week, great job, keep it up for Wimbledon with your team. Great job this week."

After being beaten by Jack Draper in last year’s tournament, Alcaraz was pleased to get his hands back on the Queen’s trophy following his winning debut in 2023.

"It’s really special, this trophy, this tournament for me. I’m just happy to lift this trophy once again," he said.

Alcaraz will now set his sights on a third Wimbledon title in a row, after beating Novak Djokovic in the final in each of the last two seasons.

Following his victory at Roland-Garros last month, he will also have the chance to become the first man in 45 years to complete the French Open-Wimbledon double in consecutive seasons.

Despite his incredible form, Alcaraz insisted he was not expecting to triumph at Queen’s this week, and was instead just hoping to transition smoothly from clay, with it being his only tournament on grass ahead of Wimbledon.

He said: "It’s been an incredible week. I came without expectations. I just came to play good tennis. Just trying as soon as possible to get used to the grass."

Lehecka was pleased with his week, which included a win over British No. 1 Draper in the semi-finals.

The 23-year-old said: "It's tough for me to find some words now but I'm happy I had a chance to fight for the title today.

"Congratulations to Carlos and your team for doing a great job as always. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough from me today.

"Thanks for cheering for me the whole week, and this [runner's-up prize] looks good too."

Remarkable Bublik upsets Medvedev in Halle

Elsewhere on the grass, Alexander Bublik shocked Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to claim the Halle Open.

The 28-year-old beat Medvedev 6-3 7-6(4) on Sunday to win at the German event for the second time in three years.

It marks the continuation of a remarkable run of form for Bublik, having beaten Draper at the French Open and defeated world No. 1 Jannik Sinner en route to the title this week.

Bublik stuns Sinner to end Italian's 49-match streak

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But things could have been very different for Bublik, who admitted after his victory that he nearly retired last season.

"It’s tough to speak, I had such tough months since last Wimbledon until this summer," Bublik said.

"I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon because I was not enjoying it anymore, and I promised my coach I stay there, keep practicing and after Wimbledon will make a decision whether I need to take a couple months off before trying to come back.

"This is happening. I have no words."

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