Lehecka ends Nadal's spirited run in Madrid

Jiri Lehecka ended Rafael Nadal's emotional, inspirational, and final appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open with a straight-sets victory Tuesday night under a closed roof on the Caja Magica.

The 30th-seeded Czech delivered a crushing blow to passionate Spanish fans in the nation’s capital, who were hoping to see the five-time champion conjure a fairytale run deep into the second week in what is expected to be his last appearance at the event.

After a competitive first 10 games of the match, Lehecka won the last 10 points of the opening set and claimed an immediate break in the first game of the second as he pulled away to a 7-5, 6-4 victory in just over two hours.

Le-heck of a win! 🤩🇨🇿@jirilehecka reaches his second Masters 1000 quarter-final in some style@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/uBaYBhbuCJ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 30, 2024

“It’s amazing to share a court with such a legendary player. It's a dream come true; I always wished for this to happen,” said Lehecka, the No. 31 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I’m very grateful to achieve such a big moment and all the best to Rafa. It’s kind of bittersweet to have such a nice win in front of all these people who were cheering for him. The energy was amazing.”

In a contrast of styles, Nadal attempted to pin Lehecka deep behind the baseline in the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with heavy, looping topspin, while the Czech looked for every opportunity to move forward and hit through the court with flatter, powerful blows off both wings. He was also proficient at net with a series of winning drop volleys and half volleys.

Lehecka made all the running in the first set with 18 winners to 17 unforced errors to Nadal's 5:8 ratio and continued to set the pace in the second set. He also dictated with his thunderous first serve, which averaged 217 kph. He saved the lone break point he faced and dropped just five points on his first serve according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The 22-year-old Lehecka, who won his first title in Adelaide in the second week of the season, will make his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance Thursday against World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev.

Nadal was seeking his 60th match win at the tournament and the 100th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career. He had not lost to a player ranked outside the Top 20 on clay since falling to Pablo Cuevas in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Immediately after the match, as his wife Maria Francisca and sister Maria Isabel shed tears, Nadal said farewell to fans in an on-court interview as the tournament unfurled five banners marking each of his five victories in 2008, ’10, ’13-’14 and ’17.