Alcaraz still the King of Queens

CARLOS Alcaraz regained his crown as the King of Queen's after beating Jiri Lehecka in the HSBC Championships final yesterday.

- By Andy Sims

The Spanish top seed replicated his debut triumph on the grass courts of west London in 2023 with a 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory.

It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz - in his fifth consecutive final - following his title successes in Rome and at the French Open.

World number 30 Jiri Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990.

The 23-year-old played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful groundstrokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tie-break.