It was a clash of two worlds: the 18th-seeded Czech Jiří Lehečka, currently the Czech number one and having climbed as high as world number 12 this season, against Toby Samuel, a qualifier who had battled through three qualifying rounds just to reach the US Open 2026 main draw. On the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, the verdict was emphatic: Lehečka won 6:4, 6:2, 6:4 to advance to the round of 16.
Lehečka in control from the outset
The Czech dominated with his serve and a composed baseline game throughout. He held serve on 86 percent of his service games and won 76 percent of points on his first serve. Particularly telling was the gap in unforced errors: while Lehečka committed just 18, Samuel racked up 41 — a figure that told the story of the match over long stretches. In the first set, Lehečka converted his break points efficiently and never looked back, taking the set 6:4.
The second set: a statement of intent
In the second set, Lehečka raised his level even further. Samuel, who had only recently made headlines with his very first Grand Slam main draw victory — against Tomáš Macháč in the opening round — had no answer for the Czech right-hander. Lehečka conceded barely any break points, brushing aside the few Samuel managed to earn, and closed out the set 6:2. He converted 55 percent of his break points across the match, while Samuel won just 57 percent of his service games.
Samuel fights back, Lehečka stays ice-cool
The third set brought a little more resistance from Samuel, who kept generating pressure with his powerful serve — averaging 194 km/h on the first delivery — and struck 28 winners. But Lehečka, who won 46 percent of return points, refused to be rattled. The Briton, who had risen from world number 1,871 into the top 100 within a year by collecting several ATP Challenger titles along the way, did save one match point, but ultimately had to concede the set 6:4 and exit the tournament.
Lehečka on track
Overall, Lehečka won 57 percent of all points and dropped just 10 games across the entire match. For the Czech, who had reached the quarterfinal at the 2025 US Open, it was a polished performance on a court where he clearly feels at home. Samuel, meanwhile, exits after a remarkable tournament debut — but his rise through the world rankings shows no signs of slowing down.
