Preview Queen’s Club Championships Final: Carlos Alcaraz's grass power meets Jiri Lehecka’s momentum

The ATP 500 Queen’s Club Championships will host its grand men's final, with the red-hot Carlos Alcaraz aiming for his third consecutive title and first of this grass-swing, before heading to defend his Wimbledon crown.

He will face the surprising Jiri Lehecka, who just eliminated home favorite Jack Draper and has been almost unplayable on serve this week, already securing two Top-10 victories. The Czech has previously defeated Alcaraz and will look to snap the Spaniard's 17-match winning streak.

For months, Carlos Alcaraz has consistently proven to be the most in-form player on Tour, and there's no doubt about his favoritism. With 17 consecutive wins and an impressive 28-3 record on grass courts, he stands as the former World No. 1 with the best grass-court record in history. The Spaniard aims to maintain his momentum and claim his third consecutive title after winning trophies at the Rome Open and Roland Garros.

This week, he defeated Adam Walton (6-4, 7-6), Jaume Munar (6-4, 6-7, 7-5), Arthur Rinderknech (7-5, 6-4), and Roberto Bautista Agut (6-4, 6-4). He only faced complications against his compatriot Munar, in a match where his great effectiveness in key moments was crucial despite a low first-serve percentage (barely 52%). However, in subsequent matches, his first serve has only improved and appears difficult to break.

Nevertheless, he hasn't yet faced any Top-50 player in the tournament so far and will face an inspired Lehecka. Alcaraz already lifted the Queen's Club title in 2023, but in 2024, he was surprised in the second round by local favorite Draper.

Jiri Lehecka owes much of his strong campaign to a remarkable ability to maintain excellent service games. He overcame Alex De Minaur (No. 5) and Gabriel Diallo without conceding any break points and only one against Brit Jacob Fearnley. In the semifinals, he had a tough task against World No. 6 Jack Draper but proved to be more incisive under pressure. He hit 16 aces and won 70% of points played on his serve, also saving 5/6 break points against him.

This is Lehecka's 5th career final on Tour (with 2 titles), but it's his first on grass courts and in an ATP 500 category tournament. The Czech has already beaten Alcaraz in their last encounter, in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open, which marked the beginning of a few inconsistent weeks for the Spaniard. Since then, Alcaraz has a 30-3 record (26-1 since the start of the clay-swing).

Without a doubt, Lehecka is less experienced in these types of instances, and the momentum is on Alcaraz's side, who seems difficult to stop on grass courts. It will be a good test for the Spaniard against a player with a 'Sinner-like style'. Lehecka has his arguments and experience in beating Alcaraz, and he won't make it easy despite the Spaniard's strong favoritism.