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Match details
Fixture: (6) Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka
Date: March 10, 2023
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $8,800,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka preview
Following a first-round bye, sixth seed Andrey Rublev will lock horns with World No. 47 Jiri Lehecka in the second round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open on Friday.
Despite starting the year with consecutive first-round losses across two tournaments, Rublev made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. He then made another opening-round exit, this time losing to Alex de Minaur at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
Rublev performed slightly better at the Qatar Open, reaching the last eight where he lost to Lehecka. As the defending champion at the Dubai Tennis Championships, he made it to the final. However, the 25-year-old came up short against Daniil Medvedev.
Lehecka, meanwhile, was up against Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday. The Czech trailed by a break twice in the opening set, but managed to level the score on each occasion. He even saved a couple of set points towards the end to take the set into a tie-break.
Lehecka gained the upper hand in the tie-break to capture the opener. He jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Rinderknech managed to get back on serve.
With the Frenchman serving to stay in the match at 6-5, Lehecka made his move. He broke his opponent's serve one last time to win the contest 7-6(4), 7-5.
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka head-to-head
The two have evenly split their two meetings so far to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Lehecka won their last encounter at the 2023 Qatar Open in three sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Rublev's results this season have been quite up and down. However, after a runner-up finish in his previous tournament, he must be feeling quite confident.
Lehecka, meanwhile, kicked off his Indian Wells campaign on a strong note by coming out on top in a competitive match against Rinderknech. The Czech blasted 31 winners, while his unforced error count stood at 24.
He faced off against Rublev just last month and staged quite the comeback to win that encounter. The Czech dropped the first set, but raised his level as the match progressed to emerge victorious.
Rublev will be eager to get the better of the 21-year-old this time around. The Russian can be a little overzealous with regards to his shotmaking, which tends to put him in a spot of bother.
Lehecka's game is developing quite nicely, with the youngster being rather tactically sound for his age. Rublev's inconsistency could hinder him yet again, setting the stage for the Czech to secure yet another win over him.
Pick: Jiri Lehecka to win in three sets.
