Fils, who saved four match points in his quarterfinal with Tommy Paul, also hadn’t dropped serve en route to his maiden 1000-level semifinal. Opting to serve first, the Frenchman immediately fell behind his dialed-in opponent. Lehecka produced a remarkable 9.6 return quality rating on his way to running away with a two-break advantage.
Lehecka carried his level over to the second set, continuing to press Fils with his deep strikes. The 24-year-old broke for 2-1 with a backhand return up the line that Fils had no answer for, resulting in the frustrated Frenchman tossing his racquet and venting at his team.
