(New York-Flushing Meadows) - World number six Andrey Rublev overpowers 32nd seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets to progress into the round of 16 in his ninth appearance at the US Open, the eighth in a row at Flushing Meadows.
Sixth seed Andrey Rublev secured a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over world No. 38 Jiri Lehecka in two hours and 3 minutes on Grandstand, pushing forward to the round of 16 at the US Open on Friday afternoon.
Upcoming, a Top-10 battle against ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who cruised past Dutch Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 39 minutes, without dropping a lone set all week.
For Rublev, the straight-set victory comes in handy on the way to the second week after rallying from two sets down in his second-rounder against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech to take care of business in five.
The Moscow-born started his run at the 2024 US Open with a 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-5 win over Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Two Heavy Hitters in Action on Grandstand
Rublev and Lehecka hit the court having survived grueling five-set second rounders before clashing for the fifth time on Tour at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday.
In the end, Rublev found the way into a third-round triumph, a fierce rival the 22-year-old knows well, going the distance while hitting his powerful groundstrokes, dictating with the forehand, and firing aces (13).
The 16-time ATP titlist won 89 percent of points on his first serve while Lehecka won 63 percent, outlasting his opponent at the net, earning 8 of 10 approaches.
He finished with 26 winners to 24 unforced errors compared to his adversary, 36 and 26, respectively.
The Czech player returned to tour-level competition in Cincinnati, having spent over three months sidelined due to injury, a stress fracture in his vertebra, which literally took the racquet out of his hands.
At the Masters 1000, he stunned World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev before falling to eventual finalist Frances Tiafoe.
Dimitrov Awaits
Rublev leads the in-form Bulgarian 4-3 in their series, having faced one another for the last time in 2023 at the Shanghai Masters 1000, a match the former took in two sets on the hard court surface.
