The great opportunity for Lehecka and Felix to climb to the Top 20 | ATP Tour

PIF ATP Live Rankings Projection

The great opportunity for Lehecka and Felix to climb to the Top 20

They will collide on Friday in the Madrid semifinals

May 02, 2024

By ATPTour.com/es Staff

A Mutua Madrid Open semi-final between 30th seed Jiri Lehecka and Felix Auger-Aliassime was not the most likely outcome at the Caja Mágica. But now that both men are in the last four at the ATP Masters 1000 event, they have a great opportunity to move up the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Lehecka, a 22-year-old rising star from the Czech Republic, entered the Madrid event at No. 31 in the world. She has already risen to No. 22 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, one place above her career high, and has a great chance to rise even higher.

If the runner-up at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in 2022 defeats Auger-Aliassime on Friday, he will rise to No. 20 in the Live Rankings (current No. 20 Adrian Mannarino is playing in an ATP Challenger Tour event and can pass it) . A first ATP Masters 1000 title would propel Lehecka to a career-high No. 17 in the world after missing the start of the clay court season due to a right vertebra injury.

It has been a memorable tournament for Lehecka, who defeated five-time champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

“It’s a great feeling, honestly. Playing my first clay court event of the year, the Masters 1000, and being in the semi-finals is just fantastic for me. It’s something I wanted for a long time after last year when I didn’t play well in the Masters 1000 events,” Lehecka said. “I don’t want to say that I was a little shy to compete well or play my best tennis. “I acquired important experience, which helped me in games like against Rafa.”

“I am happy that also after Indian Wells this year I managed to play well [en] another Masters 1000 event, and it is a very important milestone for me to play my first semi-final.”

For Auger-Aliassime there is a lot at stake. The Canadian arrived in Madrid with an 11-10 record on the season and at No. 35 in the world, just 16 months after being No. 6 in the world, the best of his career.

The 23-year-old has already jumped 10 places in the PIF ATP Live Rankings to 25th by advancing to the semi-finals. He can make the same jump as Lehecka: Felix would be No. 20 alive if he reaches his first Masters 1000 final and No. 17 if he lifts the trophy.

In the other half of the draw, seventh seed Andrey Rublev will play twelfth seed Taylor Fritz in a battle between former Masters 1000 champions.

Rublev, the 2023 Monte Carlo champion, can rise to world No. 6 if he wins the title. Fritz, the winner of Indian Wells 2022, can move to world No. 11 if he lifts the trophy. He has already regained American No. 1 status from Ben Shelton, who is No. 14 live.