In Brussels, Two-Time Finalist Lehecka Understands Improvement Is A Never-Ending Process

Jiri Lehecka
Jiri Lehecka (photo: Belga – BNP Paribas Fortis European Open)

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, October 23, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

When Jiri Lehecka met Raphael Collignon for a quarterfinal berth in the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open Thursday afternoon, the World No. 20 from Czechia showed the importance that a couple of service breaks can have on the outcome of a tennis match. Certainly, they can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Lehecka, seeded second and playing for the first time this week in the capital city of Belgium, won his 36th match of the season with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the 55th-ranked Belgian in one hour and 19 minutes.

Throughout, both Lehecka, a finalist each of the past two years, and last year’s semifinalist, Collignon, played at a high and entertaining g level. By the conclusion, Lehecka struck 24 winners – including nine aces – and made only 14 unforced errors. He dropped just four points on his first serve, winning 87 percent (26 of 30) of his first-serve points. Lehecka saved the only break point he faced, which came all the way back in the third game of the match, trailing 30-40. He converted three of four break-point chances and outpointed Collignon 61-45.

“It was a tough match playing Raphael in his home conditions; it’s never easy,” Lehecka, 24, said during his on-court interview. “Today was mostly about serve and return. I was trying to serve well throughout the whole match, keeping my distance through the games I was serving that I needed to hold. Of course, in the conditions like this, it’s always about who is a little bit more aggressive, who is not scared to take the risks. I was not scared today. It brought me a very important win.”

The 24-year-old Belgian home favorite from Liège, in his first tournament back after a lengthy respite while dealing with recurring knee problems, countered with 13 winners but also committed 16 unforced errors. It added up to his 16th loss of the season, leveling his tour-level win-loss record at 16-16 (36-19 in all competitions, including a pair of ATP Challenger 125 titles at Pau, France, and Monza, Italy earlier this year).

Overall, Lehecka gave a complete performance against Collignon. “I’m working on every part of my game, to be honest. It’s never easy, you know. There’s just not one thing I can highlight of all the work that we are doing with my team,” he said.

“The thing about tennis is you need to improve in every part if you want to stay competitive. If you want to improve, you need to improve all the things twice as much. … I’m trying to focus on every match and trying to show my best tennis.”

Now, Lehecka is through to Friday’s quarterfinal round against No. 60 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, who won both of his matches earlier in the week.

Game. Set. Match. Merci David.

As David Goffin took his final bows on Centre Court inside Palais 12 at Brussels Expo Thursday afternoon, after losing 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 27 minutes to World No. 37 and fifth seed Alex Michelsen from the United States, the 35-year-old Belgian great knew the outcome of his final match – his La Dernière Danse [the Last Dance] as this week had been billed by Brussels tournament organizers – wasn’t as important as the feeling that he had given everything he had. 

It was certainly evident on Wednesday, when the 657th-ranked wild card Goffin rallied from a set and a break down to pull out a satisfying three-set victory over 219th-ranked lucky loser Remy Bertola of Switzerland. Then, the Belgian fans gave him plenty of energy after every good point, pushing him forward more and more. On Thursday, Goffin faced a far superior player in Michelsen and the outcome was not as surprising.

Michelsen leveraged a trio of service breaks – one in the first set and a pair to go up a double-break lead in the second – and it was enough to ensure victory for the 22-year-old American, 13 years Goffin’s junior – although the outcome turned into a cliffhanger.

To his credit, Goffin played freely – fighting from first ball to last – and his spirit never wavered. When, he broke back for 3-5 in the final set, Goffin showed the fight that characterized his career. He found a burst of energy and the crowd had his back.

Next, Goffin put together one final service game that was filled with a quartet of aces and a hold to push to within one game at 4-5. The crowd gave Goffin a standing ovation as he walked to his bench one last time for what proved to be the final changeover of his career. Soon, Michelsen put away the second-round victory on his first match-point opportunity, after Goffin netted a second-shot return.

Goffin received congratulations in the form of a cordial embrace and a pat on the chest from Michelsen at the net as they walked off Centre Court together. The crowd rose to its feet and showered Goffin with much love and affection. He was truly moved, as he had been 24 hours earlier on the same court.

Michelsen will return on Friday to take on World No. 10 and top seed Arthur Fils of France in the quarterfinal round. Fils has yet to play this week in Brussels. As the No. 1 seed, he earned a bye into the second round. Then, he received a walkover into the quarterfinals after his opponent, Spain’s Jaume Munar withdrew earlier in the week, citing back problems.

“David is still playing unbelievable. I noticed in his last match he was still ripping winners left and right,” Michelsen said during his on-court interview. “He was playing incredible and I just had to do my own thing on serve. I got a little tight at 5-2; things happen.

“I’m happy with the win but the day is all about him,” Michelsen added.

Looking back, the native of Liège said he was surprised by the volume of congratulatory messages he had received from players and coaches. The new generation of Belgian players, including Raphael Collignon and Zizou Bergs, were in attendance at Goffin’s match on Wednesday, and Collignon watched Thursday’s send-off finale.

“I have received very nice messages about myself and that is a great pleasure,” Goffin said during his post-match news conference on Wednesday, translated from French. There would be more on Thursday as he was feted during a video presentation by Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov as well as Alexander Blockx, Collignon and Bergs, who represent the next wave of Belgian players ready to grab the spotlight from Goffin.

As Goffin spoke to the crowd on Thursday during a celebration ceremony of his career, in which his family – wife, Stephanie, and two-year-old daughter, Emma; parents Michel and Françoise, and brother Simon – were in attendance and well as Belgian Davis Cup teammates and coaches, including Ruben Bemelmans and Steve Darcis, he summed up his feelings this way (translated from French): “It was a magnificent road.

“I enjoyed every moment,” said Goffin, who reached a career-high World No. 7, won six ATP Tour titles and reached the title match of the ATP Finals in 2017, after defeating Nadal and Roger Federer in the same week. Goffin advanced to four Grand Slam quarterfinals – most recently at Wimbledon in 2022 – and led Belgium to a couple of Davis Cup finals in 2015 and 2017.

“Now, it’s time for other things,” Goffin explained. “It is a chapter that ends, but another begins. Now, it’s time to support the other Belgians, there are still beautiful things to come.”

Bergs is last Belgian standing in Brussels draw

No. 6 seed Zizou Bergs of Belgium ensured there would be at least one Belgian in this year’s European Open quarterfinals after he defeated 83rd-ranked Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour and 17 minutes on Centre Court in their first tour-level meeting on the ATP Tour after twice facing each other in 2022 in qualifying at Montpellier and Marseille.

It was the 25th victory of the season for the 41st-ranked Bergs, who is through to his 10th career ATP Tour quarterfinal – second one in the European Open after 2024 – and second one of the season following his title run in Eastbourne last June. The 27-year-old Belgian from Lommel earned 31 tour-level wins last year. Now, he has become the fourth different Belgian player in the Open Era – after Xavier Malisse, Olivier Rochus and David Goffin, all in multiple seasons – to record 25-plus tour-level wins.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ATP Tour (@atptour)

Against Dzumhur, Bergs recorded 12 service aces – three of them coming in his final service game – and won 94 percent (26 of 31) of his first-serve points. He saved both break points he faced and converted three of five break-point opportunities. Bergs outpointed Dzumhur 63-46.

During his on-court interview, Bergs was asked what he did differently against Dzumhur that resulted in a victory. He replied: “Well, we are four years later. Things change. Today, I am a better player than I was four years ago. … It’s a tricky opponent for me. I served solidly and my returns were there when I need them. Overall, I’m happy with the performance. … I’m locked in now and I hope to keep it up. Hopefully, many more matches to come.”

On Friday, Bergs will face No. 58 Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the day’s final quarterfinal match.

Around the Brussels Expo

In doubles, No. 1 seeds Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Manuel Guinard of France were upset by unseeded Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia and David Pel of the Netherlands, 2-6, 7-5, 10-8, in one hour and 24 minutes on Court 1. The Colombian/Dutch pair saved four of seven break points and broke their opponents twice in two opportunities despite being outpointed 70-54.

Next, Barrientos and Pel will face No. 4 seeds Sadio Doumbia of France and Bart Stevens of the Netherlands in the semifinal round on Saturday.

The other semifinal will be between unseeded Constantin Frantzen of Germany and Robert Galloway of the United States, who received a walkover win against Raphael Collignon and David Goffin of Belgium, and the unseeded Argentine/American team of Fernando Cerundolo and Alex Michelsen.

Thursday’s European Open results

Friday’s European Open order of play

By the numbers

Jiri Lehecka is through to his 29th career tour-level quarterfinal – fifth of the 2026 season on hard courts, after Doha, Dubai, Miami and Tokyo. He’s the second man to reach the quarterfinals at this event in three consecutive years after Diego Schwartzman (2016-18). His 36th victory of the season Thursday tied him for most by a Czech on the ATP Tour with Jakub Mensik.

“Quotable …”

“Before the match, I had one of the hardest feelings I’ve ever experienced. You think: maybe this is the last time I enter the site. At the same time, of course, you also want to perform well.”

– David Goffin of Belgium, during his post-match news conference Wednesday (translated from French), after coming from a set and a break down to defeat lucky loser Remy Bertola of Switzerland to advance to the second round.

 

Search

Brigitte Urban
Tennis photographer
camera lens

International Blogs

Michael Dickens

A Czech Legacy Continues With Its Latest Billie Jean King Cup Success

October 1, 2026

Florian Heer

Carlos Bernardes: Vom Schiedsrichterstuhl zum Challenger-Turnierdirektor

April 22, 2026

Podcast

Categories