Thursday, June 19

Sports Mole previews Friday’s Queen’s Club Championships quarter-final between Jiri Lehecka and Jacob Fearnley, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.

In-form Jiri Lehecka faces first-time ATP quarter-finalist Jacob Fearnley on Friday, hoping to avoid an upset against the British player at the Queen’s Club Championships.

Fearnley came through a three-set encounter against Corentin Moutet to set up his first meeting with the Czech player on the ATP Tour after Lehecka dispatched Gabriel Diallo in straight sets in the early match on Andy Murray Arena.

---

Match preview

Although Lehecka faced Diallo expecting a challenging match, the 23-year-old secured an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Canadian to advance to another quarter-final in the short grass season.

The player from Czechia progressed to the last eight in Stuttgart before bowing out to Ben Shelton in straight sets but has carried that momentum into this week.

Having defeated fifth seed and former Queen’s runner-up Alex De Minaur in the tournament opener, the world No. 30 has maintained that high standard, particularly on serve in London.

Lehecka has not faced a break point in rounds one and two, winning 84.4% of first-serve points against De Minaur and improving to 96.3% on Thursday in his one-hour four-minute victory.

Due to a back injury, the Czech star missed last year's French Open, Wimbledon, and Paris Olympics; however, he has bounced back from 2024’s setback and a humbling Roland Garros defeat to Jannik Sinner to begin the grass season in fine form.

Facing Fearnley will be anything but straightforward for the world No. 30 due to the Briton’s tendency to hit through opponents and take risks with his shots.

The 23-year-old first came to prominence at last year’s Wimbledon, taking a set off Novak Djokovic at the Championships and receiving praise from the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Since then, Fearnley has established himself as a regular on the men’s tour, reaching the third round in Australia and the French capital, and has now broken new ground on home soil in Queen’s by making the last eight.

Victories over Alex Bolt and Moutet have propelled the world No. 60 into the last eight, with his all-or-nothing style seeing him hit 40 winners to his second-round opponent’s 19, as the Brit recovered from slipping standards in set two to clinch a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory.

Having achieved new heights, Fearnley now holds a 13-10 record in main draws this year; however, the first-time quarter-finalist has not yet recorded three consecutive wins in 2025, which he must do to reach the last four at the expense of the in-form two-time ATP champion.

---

Tournament so far

Jiri Lehecka:

First round: vs. Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-2

Second round: vs. Gabriel Diallo 6-4 6-2

Jacob Fearnley:

First round: vs. Alex Bolt 6-2 6-4

Second round: vs. Corentin Moutet 6-3 2-6 6-2

---

Head To Head

Lehecka and Fearnley face off for the first time on the men’s tour, with the victor taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.

The world No. 30 is 10-3 against opponents ranked 50th or lower in 2025, while Fearnley holds a 6-5 record against opponents ranked No. 30 to No. 100 on the men's tour, though he was successful in his most recent encounter by defeating world No. 89 Moutet.

---

We say: Lehecka to win in two sets

While some might favour a three-set match on Friday, we are backing Lehecka to secure the quarter-final in two, considering the Czech player’s dominance on serve this week and his record against lower-ranked players, setting up a semi-final clash with Brandon Nakashima or Jack Draper. ID:575851:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5740:

Previews by email

---

Collect / Create New Data