Sixth seed Jiri Lehecka beat Jaume Munar 6-1 6-4 to reach the second round at the European Open in Antwerp.
Lehecka played against Munar for the second time in the space of ten day. The Czech player beat his Spanish opponent 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in straight sets at the recent Shanghai Masters 1000 tournament.
Lehecka converted four of the nine break points he faced.
Lehecka broke three times in the first, fifth and seventh games to win the first set 6-1.
Munar saved five match points on serve in the 10th game before Lehecka sealed the win on his sixth opportunity when his Spanish opponnt made a double fault.
Lehecka improved by two spots to world number 31 in the ATP Live Ranking. The Czech player is chasing his second title this season after lifting his maiden ATP Trophy in Adelaide last January. He will face either Daniel Altmeier or Gilles Arnaud Bailly.
“The first set was about what I let him do, and in the second set Munar improved so much. I felt that it would be a difficult challenge for me to win the second set. We saw that he fought until the end. We played last week in Shanghai, and we both knew it would be a tough competition again, so it’s a good win for me and I am very happy to be in the second round. Since the first day I have felt good on this surface. I have felt comfortable with the balls I felt good since the first moment I arrived here. A few good practices gave me important confidence which I used today”, said Lehecka in his on court interview.
