Casper Ruud vs Jiri Lehecka Preview & Prediction | 2026 Italian Open | Third Round
by Alex Meechan ·
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Casper Ruud takes on Jiri Lehecka in Rome.
Ranking points: ATP 1000
Start date/time:
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Surface: Outdoor clay
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – Tennis Channel
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Casper Ruud vs Jiri Lehecka ticket information
Casper Ruud vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Casper Ruud advanced to the third-round of the Italian Open after comfortably getting past Zachary Svajda. The three-time Grand Slam finalist was not broken on serve and won seven of the first eight games as he completed a 6-1 6-3 win after one hour and four minutes. Ruud’s defence of his Madrid Open title ended at the quarter-final stage, and that saw him drop out of the top 20 of the world rankings for the first time in five years.
He now goes up against Jiri Lehecka. The Czech battled his way past Jan-Lennard Struff in round two. There were no breaks of serve in the first set, but Lehecka still took the lead after winning the tiebreak. He went a break down in the second, but he responded by breaking back in the very next service game as he went on to win 7-6 (4) 6-3.
The head-to-head is 2-0 in favour of Ruud, and he won their previous match on clay in Gstaad four years ago. Lehecka is improving on the surface, but the Norwegian still remains a quality player on clay, and he has enough quality and physical endurance to get through this one.
Casper Ruud vs Jiri Lehecka tip: Casper Ruud to win
