Jiří Lehečka’s bid for a third Belgian indoor tournament final ended in a surprise three-set defeat on Friday, October 23, 2026. Tenis portál reported that the second-seeded Czech player fell 4:6, 6:4, 6:3 to World No. 60 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands at the ATP 250 event in Brussels, lasting more than two hours. Dvacátý hráč žebříčku Lehečka and second-seeded player failed to live up to his status as the paper favorite against Griekspoor, losing to the world number sixty in two and a quarter hours. The twenty-four-year-old Czech tennis player managed to take the serve from his opponent, who is six years older, only in the first set; in the other two sets, he lost his own serve once each and lost his third head-to-head match against Griekspoor as well. His first two defeats occurred five years ago at challengers at the beginning of his professional career.

Early Dominance Fades as Griekspoor Secures the Comeback

Lehečka entered the Brussels tournament, having advanced past Raphael Collignon 6:4, 6:2 in the second round, according to coverage from Livesport. In contrast, Griekspoor arrived having recently broken a five-match losing streak on individual tournaments, as detailed by Tenis portál. The opening set saw Lehečka recover from an early 0:2 deficit, securing a break on his opponent’s serve to take the set 4:6. However, Sport.cz and ČT sport noted that the Czech player dropped his serve once in each of the subsequent sets, allowing the 30-year-old Dutchman to claim the second and third sets 6:4 and 6:3 respectively. The decisive third set turned on the sixth game, where Lehečka faltered on his serve and failed to convert four earlier break-point opportunities.

Missed Opportunity for a Brussels Hattrick

The quarterfinal exit marks a sharp halt to Lehečka’s success in Belgium. Sport.cz and ČT sport highlighted that the 24-year-old reached the championship match in both of the tournament’s previous iterations—finishing as runner-up to Roberto Bautista in Antwerp in 2024 and losing to Félix Auger-Aliassima in the Brussels final last season. With this defeat, Lehečka loses the chance to contest a third Brussels-region title. V roce 2024, ještě v Antverpách, prohrál ve finále s Robertem Bautistou ze Španělska.

Griekspoor Faces Francisco Cerúndolo in the Semifinals

Tallon Griekspoor advanced to only his second main-tour semifinal of the 2026 season, having reached the final in Dubai in February before being forced to withdraw due to injury, according to Tenis portál match records. Griekspoor advances to face third-seeded Argentine player Francisco Cerúndolo in the Saturday semifinals. Cerúndolo secured his own final-four berth by defeating Frenchman Chidekh 6:2, 6:4, while top seed Arthur Fils advanced past American Michelsen in a tight 6:4, 7:6 tiebreak.