Lehecka advances after Medvedev retires in Madrid quarter-final

Jiri Lehecka is into his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final at the Mutua Madrid Open, where the Czech advanced after Daniil Medvedev retired from the pair’s last-eight clash on Thursday evening in Spain.

Medvedev went off court for treatment on his right upper leg when leading 3-2 in his second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Lehecka. The third seed complained to the physio about having trouble moving to his right, and he had further treatment on court two games later at 4-3. After Lehecka broke serve in the ninth game en route to winning the first set 6-4, Medvedev retired.

"It's never easy in a match like this," Lehecka said of Medvedev's retirement. "If I were to choose the way how to win this match, it wouldn't be like that. So of course, it's never easy to see your opponent struggling, but at that moment, you just need to focus on yourself, trying to get the maximum level out of yourself."

Lehecka’s semi-final opponent in the Spanish capital will be Felix Auger-Aliassime. With the duo at No. 31 and No. 35 in the PIF ATP Rankings, respectively, it marks the first time that multiple players outside the Top 20 have reached the last four at a Masters 1000 event since the 2023 event in Madrid.

This year's Adelaide champion, who reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in March at Indian Wells, moved to a career-high No. 22 in the PIF ATP Rankings by reaching his first Masters 1000 semi-final. Should Lehecka reach the final, he will make his debut inside the Top 20 and would climb to No. 17 with the title.

Lehecka is playing his first tournament of the clay swing after withdrawing from Monte-Carlo and Barcelona due to a right vertebra problem.

"I think that after my back injury, I came back in a different way," he said. "I tried to focus more on the quality and on the intensity of all the practices. I tried to work hard with preparation for this week. And I think that from day one, when I arrived here, I felt good. I got used to the conditions."

By reaching the last eight in the Spanish capital Medvedev completed his sweep on all nine Masters 1000 quarter-final appearances. Had he reached the semi-finals he would have risen to No. 3 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings ahead of title defense later this month in Rome, where he is defending 1000 points.