Jiri Lehecka will face Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open. The match will start on February 24 at 14:30 UK time.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #1 – Handicap (-2) for Lehecka – 1.696.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #2 – Total Games Over 22 – 1.725.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #3 – 1st Set Games Over 9.5 – 1.662.
Lehecka approached the season in fine form. In January, Jiri reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Now he will play in the semifinals of the major tournaments in Doha, at which he has already beaten two strong players – Ruusuvori and Rublev. We believe he can cope with Murray as well.
Both Lehecka and Murray are approaching the upcoming match in excellent playing conditions, so we can probably expect the match to be a long one. We think it’s worth betting on the game total in this match. Especially as all previous games of Murray in Doha have ended in three sets.
It should be noted that Lehecka will play in the semi-finals for the first time this season. His previous best result this season was reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Jiri confirms this week that his success at the Australian Open was no fluke.
He is well on his way to securing at least a place in the top 30 this season.
On Thursday, Lehecka defeated Andrey Rublev (4-6, 6-4, 6-3).
The young Czech played so cleanly and confidently after the first set that the Russian eventually lost his nerve.
In the second and third sets, Rublev did not have a single break point, despite his best efforts. That is the best answer to the question of how Lehecka handled the encounter with world #5.
Lehecka has nine wins in his last ten meetings to his credit.
Andy, meanwhile, also continues to impress. Above all, with his steely, unbreakable character.
In the second round, Murray defeated Alexander Zverev (7-6, 2-6, 7-5). In the decisive set, the Briton broke at 5-5. By the way, the game lasted three hours. Despite his age, Andy is in great physical shape.
Before that, Murray defeated Lorenzo Sonego (4-6, 6-1, 7-6). In the third and decisive set, Andy saved three match points.
In the quarter-finals, the former world #2 defeated Alexandre Muller (4-6, 6-1, 6-2). Against the Frenchman, Andy had nine aces, no double faults and five break points out of 11.
Murray has won the Doha tournament twice. However, that was more than a decade ago – 2008 & 2009.
Type of Court – Indoor Hard
Speed of Court – 6/10
Jiri Lehecka’s Rating – 52
Jiri Lehecka Wins/Losses in 2023 – 11/3
Andy Murray’s Rating – 70
Andy Murray Wins/Losses in 2023 – 7/2
In 4 of Murray’s last 5 matches, more than 9.5 games have been played in the first set. We offer to bet on “1st Set Games Over 9.5” with odds of 1.662.
Jiri Lehecka and Andy Murray will play their first head-to-head match.
The match will be played in Center Court, Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar.
We recommend checking out the odds for the Qatar Open: Jiri Lehecka vs Andy Murray at 1xBet and VBET.