Czech Lehecka stuns sixth seed Auger-Aliassime at Australian Open

MELBOURNE : Unseeded Czech Jiri Lehecka toppled sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-3 7-6(2) 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday, as the exit of yet another big name left the Grand Slam thin on star power for its second week.

Auger-Aliassime, 22, broke in the third game on the way to taking the opening set in 35 minutes but a huge momentum shift saw unseeded Lehecka take control.

After winning the second set to level the match, a delicate volley at the net helped Lehecka hold serve and set up a third-set tiebreak where he pounced on 2022 quarter-finalist Auger-Aliassime's errors to move ahead..

With a first Grand Slam quarter-final, and a first win over a top-10 player, in sight, the 21-year-old Lehecka went up another gear in the fourth set tie-break to go up 6-3 before sending Auger-Aliassime out with a superb passing shot.