Monte-Carlo 2023: Dimitrov vs Lehecka Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters second-round match featuring Grigor Dimitrov vs Jiri Lehecka on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

Dimitrov vs Lehecka Match Preview and Prediction

Monaco resident Grigor Dimitrov will square off against Czech Next Gen star Jiri Lehecka in a mouthwatering second-round match at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. Who will prevail?

Grigor Dimitrov used his experience to a tee to defeat American young gun Ben Shelton in three sets in his opening match at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. The Bulgarian broke the seemingly impregnable Shelton serve three times in the match, and fired 39 winners in a dazzling display of attacking tennis. He’s now recorded 21 wins at the Principality – the most he has garnered at a Masters 1000 tournament.

Jiri Lehecka, meanwhile, produced a fine display in his first match on clay, beating Finnish lucky loser Emil Ruusuvuori 6-1, 7-5 to win a main draw match at the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time. The unseeded Czech converted five of 12 break points and his partnership with former top-10 player Tomas Berdych is yielding early dividends already.

Dimitrov vs Lehecka Prediction and Pick

Grigor Dimitrov and Jiri Lehecka are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. Lehecka downed the Bulgarian on the indoor hard courts in Stockholm last autumn, winning a third-set tiebreaker. The Monte-Carlo Masters is Dimitrov’s most successful Masters tournament in terms of match wins, having now hit 21. But Dimitrov has never been an assured bet in the ML. His break point conversion is slightly worrying coming into this match (he was 3/18 against Shelton). He’s also facing a player with an attacking mindset and who is extremely dangerous on the clay (the addition of Berdych in his coaching team elevates his game). Dimitrov has won just four straight-sets matches in 2023, and taking the Lehecka set handicap is unquestionably the safest bet here.