Jiri Lehecka vs. Arthur Fils
Once upon a time, when the Miami draw was made, this match was going to pit Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic. But Djokovic dropped out, Alcaraz lost to Seb Korda, and now we have an unexpected encounter between the 21st and 28th seeds.
If Lehecka-Fils doesn’t have the starry shine of Alcaraz-Djokovic, it’s still a match that makes sense for the men’s tour. The Czech, 24, and the Frenchman, 21, have each persevered through recent back injuries and continued to climb the rankings. In part because of those injuries, neither is as high up the charts as he should be. Their performances in Miami will change that, and making a first Masters 1000 final is the logical next step for both of them.
They’ve played three times, all on hard courts, and Fils has won twice. Two of the matches went to 6-4 in the third—Fils won by that score in Davis Cup in 2024, Lehecka did the same in Toronto last summer.
In their own ways, each is one of the sport’s spectacular ball strikers.
Lehecka, in the tradition of his fellow Czech Tomas Berdych, does it with exquisite, ultra-clean timing on both of his ground strokes, as well as his serve. He wins 75 percent of his first-serve points, and averages more than eight aces a match. Not bad for a guy who’s only 6’1.
