MILAN — Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka earned the biggest win of his season when he beat Dominic Stricker to reach the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals.
The fifth-seeded Lehecka was dominant from the outset as he eased to a 4-1, 4-3 (4), 2-4, 4-1 victory in 82 minutes, AP reported.
The Czech will face fourth-seeded Brandon Nakashima of the United States or third-seeded Jack Draper of Britain in the final of the year-ending tournament for 21-and-under players.
After dropping the third set, Lehecka broke Stricker in the opening game of the fourth and never looked back, sealing the match when Stricker hit a return wide.
It was Stricker´s first defeat after winning all three of his group matches. Nakashima also advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-0 record, including a straight-sets victory over Lehecka.
This is the fifth edition of the event, which features shorter sets of first-to-four games and other experimental format changes.
New rules include no changeovers after the first game of each set and only one sit-down per set after three games; a 15-second serve clock after aces, double-faults and unreturned serves; and coaching during an opponent´s medical timeout or toilet break.
