British number four Jack Draper was denied a maiden ATP Tour title by Jiri Lehecka in a three-set defeat to the Czech starlet in Saturday's Adelaide International final.
Competing in his second top-level championship match, Draper took the first set against Lehecka - also gunning for his first ATP Tour crown - but fell victim to a storming comeback from his fellow 22-year-old, who prevailed 4-6 6-4 6-3 in two hours and eight minutes.
After ending an injury-hit 2023 with defeat to Adrian Mannarino in the Sofia Open final, Draper sought to banish his previous fitness woes Down Under, and the 22-year-old only dropped one set en route to the showpiece contest.
Lehecka entered his first-ever meeting with Draper boasting an identical record in the ATP 250 tournament, but he was made to pay for a couple of unforced errors in the seventh game of the match as Draper earned the first break.
The Czech seventh seed was second best throughout the opening set, despite hitting 13 winners compared to Draper's nine, but as the Briton's first-serve win percentage dropped in the second set, he struggled to maintain his ferocious approach.
While serving to stay in the second set, Draper fell 40-0 down to hand Lehecka three break points, and despite managing to save one of them, an untimely unforced error ensured that the final would go the distance.
One for the memory bank 😍@jirilehecka | @AdelaideTennis | #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/dzxpyqJXB5
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 13, 2024
The Czech 22-year-old immediately took control of the deciding set, breaking either side of two convincing holds for a 3-0 lead, and Draper crucially let a 40-0 lead slip in the fifth game.
Those three missed opportunities would end up proving costly for the world number 62, who successfully served to stay in the match but could only return a powerful Lehecka serve into the net on his opponent's first match point.
"I'd like to congratulate Jiri and his coach. You guys have been doing some amazing work. A career-high ranking, playing some amazing tennis, and your first title. I was trying to do the same today, but you deserve it and you were the better player today," Draper said after losing his second ATP Tour final in a row.
Meanwhile, first-time ATP Tour champion Lehecka reserved special praise for the runner-up while addressing the crowd, saying: "It's hard for me to say something, because it is so emotional for me to win my first title here in Adelaide.
"I'm super excited. I would like to congratulate Jack and his team, because it is such a joy to watch you... I wish you all the best for the rest of the season. Just stay healthy and keep playing."
Both Draper and Lehecka now have a couple of days to recover before their Australian Open first-round contests, as the former gears up to meet Marcos Giron, while Lehecka will be in action against Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Ben Knapton
