Jiri Lehecka isn’t waiting in the wings anymore. It’s his time to be part of the conversation. The World No. 21 made light work of Arthur Fils in the semi-finals of the Miami Open and dominated the match by 6-2, 6-2 win at the Hard Rock stadium.

However, before this run at the Miami Open, hard courts hadn’t quite delivered that big semifinal moment. His only Masters semi came at the Madrid Open in 2024.

Lehecka’s 2024 Madrid Open campaign had the potential to be the ultimate underdog story. He had defeated the crowd-favorite Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 in the Round of 16 before Daniil Medvedev had withdrawn from his quarterfinal clash against the Czech due to an injury.

This saw Lehecka qualify for his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinals. However, his joy was short-lived as during the clash against Felix Auger Aliassime, a teary-eyed Lehecka had to retire in the first set due to a back injury.

While the 24-year-old had been trying his best for the past two years, he kept on failing to make deep runs in Masters 1000 tournaments. However, he finally found his missing spark at the Miami Open and even went on to defeat World No. 6 Taylor Fritz on his route to the semis.

He had locked horns against the American in the Round of 16 and had won 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. A hard-fought 7-6, 7-5 victory over Martin Landaluce was enough to send him to his second Masters 1000 semis.

While Lehecka was the favorite heading into his clash against Fils, no one had really expected this kind of domination. It was smooth sailing for the Czech from the first set itself as not only did he manage to hold his serve well, but also because his opponent struggled to win points when it mattered. The 24-year-old broke through in the third game of the first set and would remain in control from there.

After winning the first set comfortably, Lehecka carried that momentum into the second as well. He broke Fils’ serve on two more occasions in the second set and wrapped up the match in just 75 minutes with a straight-set triumph.

This victory also saw him replicate Novak Djokovic’s astounding feat from eight years ago.

Jiri Lehecka recreates Novak Djokovic’s rare feat from 2018

With his commanding victory over Fils, Jiri Lehecka has become the first men’s player in eight years to reach a Masters final without dropping serve. The last man to have achieved this unique feat was Novak Djokovic in Shanghai back in 2018.

Reflecting on his result against Fils, Lehecka was thoroughly satisfied by the way he executed his plans on such an important occasion.

“It feels great. It’s definitely something I’ve been working towards the whole year and the whole pre-season. I really trusted my game and the work I put in. It didn’t matter when, but I knew it would come and today was a nice example of how I want to play. I executed it well, so I’m very happy with today’s performance,” he said after the match.

As he heads into the final of the Miami Open, Lehecka will be coming up against either Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev. Though the Czech has already caused upsets in the tournament, his biggest test is expected to come in the final.

Will Lehecka go on to win his maiden Masters 1000 title or will his dream run in Miami come to an end in the penultimate match? Let us know your predictions in the comments!