Throughout his run at the 2026 Miami Open, Jiri Lehecka, who had a previous career-high ranking of 16, looked like a player who had spent most of the last few years in the top 10. He wasn't just skimming by good players; he was performing at a level that implied he could continue to do so.
He did so against Arthur Fils, a 21-year-old riser who the tennis world has been waiting for to come into his own and had his own good tournament, in their semifinal match on Friday. Fils has a good serve and a massive forehand (he leads the ATP tour by hitting 85 mph on an average forehand), but Lehecka was reacting to the Frenchman's play with ease.
This was mostly because the Czech wasn't being pushed on his own serve in the opening set. Fils only took two points off Lehecka's first serve, and the Czech never faced a break point. Meanwhile, he broke Fils twice. As well as Lehecka is playing, one might logically ask, "Is this the player who will emerge and become the third member of a Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner triad?
Jiri Lhecka defeats Arthur Fils at the 2026 Miami Open
Tennis needs that. Sinner and Alcaraz are historically great, but more people would tune in to watch the sport if someone else was causing trouble besides the top two-ranked players. Lehecka plays with the calmness and skill to be more successful than he has been.
Until the Miami Open, the Czech had never made the semifinals of any Masters 1000 or Grand Slam played on a hard court. He had only made one semi at a Masters before, and that was the Madrid Open in 2024. He has been on the outskirts of greatness, but might have just kicked in the door.
Fils had been broken all tournament, but Lehecka was able to break him three times by the time the third game of the second set was done. The Czech took set one 6-2 by playing efficient tennis with eight winners but only four unforced errors, and led set two 2-1 after breaking Fils.
Lehecka got another break of Fils at 4-2, hitting an unbelievable backhand winner wide. The Frenchman seemed at a loss for what to do at that point, even telling his coach's box that he was completely lost.
Jiri Lehecka finished the set 6-2 and will next play the winner of the Alexander Zverev versus Jannik Sinner match in the final. What is clear is that Lehecka is not going to be an easy out (and in the live rankings, he is now at a career-high No. 14), but can he continue his stellar play for years to come to rival Sinner and Alcaraz?