Pick of the Day: Jiri Lehecka vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Indian Wells

Jiri Lehecka's 6-4, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev in the second round of Indian Wells is the kind of peformance that really puts you on the radar. Lehecka has been turning heads for a while, but beating Rublev the way he did, and especially on this stage, will get him some extra attention.

However, I’m a big believer in letdown spots and I question, whether or not Lehecka can bring the same level to the court again. That makes his match-up with Stefanos Tsistipas even more dangerous.

Tsitsipas has never had much success in Indian Wells, but he’s a good slow-court player. One of Tsitsipas’ biggest weaknesses is his backhand, which can completely get away from him when pressed for time. But these slow hard courts allow him to set his feet and go after that shot. On top of that, the court speeds also help him on on returns. When you combine that with his ability to obliterate serves, there’s no reason he can’t make a deep run in the desert—and gives him a good shot at making easy work of Lehecka.

Lehecka looked incredible from the baseline against Rublev, but I don’t see him bullying Tsitsipas from there. Tsitsipas has one of the best forehands on tour, so he’ll be able to push Lehecka around a bit. Tsitsipas also has a little more shape on his shots, which should come in handy.

Tsitsipas is 2-0 against Lehecka in this head-to-head series, winning a three-setter in Rotterdam in 2022, and in straights at last year's Australian Open. The adjustments Tsitsipas made were noticeable, and I think he’ll continue to enjoy this matchup in IW.

With all of that in mind, I’m taking a shot on Tsitsipas to win in straight sets. I’m not willing to go north of -200 on the moneyline, but I like the plus-money odds on the Greek star to win in straight sets.

Pick: Tsitsipas -1.5 Sets (+125)