LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz showed he will be the man to beat at Wimbledon again after defeating Jiri Lehecka in the final at Queen's Club on Sunday.
The top-seeded Spaniard replicated his debut triumph on the grass courts of west London in 2023 with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory.
It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz — in his fifth consecutive final — following his title successes in Rome and at the French Open.
Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990.
The 23-year-old Lehecka played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful ground strokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tiebreaker.
But Alcaraz, the defending Wimbledon champion, did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title, and second at Queen's.
Alcaraz lifted the trophy just two weeks after his epic five-set victory over Jannik Sinner at Roland-Garros.
The 22-year-old made the tight turnaround from clay to grass look simple, even though he took time out for a holiday in Ibiza before heading to London.
“It’s really complicated, the switch from clay to grass in just few days, because that’s the time I had before the tournament began,” Alcaraz said. “Just two days of practicing and then I had to compete here. So I came here with no expectations at all.
“I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and, you know, give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better.
“So what I’m more proud about this week is the way that I have been improving every day. You know, since the first day until today, I think I’m a different player on grass. I just got used to it really quick.”
Wimbledon starts June 30.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
The Associated Press
