Tennis - Davis Cup - Finals - Czech Republic v Australia - Palacio de deportes Martin Carpena, Malaga, Spain - November 22, 2023 Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka in action during his quarter final match with Adam Pavlasek against Australia's Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
ADELAIDE (Reuters) -Jiri Lehecka came from behind to claim his first ATP tour title with a 4-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Briton Jack Draper in an absorbing final at the Adelaide International on Saturday.
The Czech reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last year and will be battle-hardened for his third trip to Melbourne Park after the tight two-hour contest against fellow 22-year-old Draper.
In the women's final at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia beat Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-2 - with Ostapenko breaking serve five times in the match.
In the men's final, a single service break was enough to give lefthander Draper the opening set but Lehecka levelled up the contest when he managed the second break of the match in the next set.
That appeared to knock a bit of the stuffing out of Draper, who was also seeking his maiden tour title, and Lehecka raced to a 3-0 lead in the decider.
Draper, whose career has been blighted by injuries, never gave up the fight and had three break points at 3-1 but Lehecka saved them all and sealed the title with an unreturnable serve after just over two hours on court.
"It's hard for me to say anything because I'm so emotional after winning my first title in Adelaide, I'm so excited," Lehecka said after the trophy presentation.
"Such an amazing way to start the year."
Lehecka, the 32nd seed, takes on Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the first round in Melbourne, while Draper, who lost to Rafa Nadal last year in his only previous match at the Australian Open, faces American Marcos Giron.
Ostapenko's win assures the Latvian of a return to the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time since 2018, as the 26-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals in Brisbane last week, showed impressive form before the Australian Open.
Ostapenko, the 11th seed in Melbourne, faces Australia's Kimberly Birrell in the first round, and will be looking to improve on her best performance at the tournament last year when she reached the quarter-finals and lost to Elena Rybakina.
Kasatkina, number 15 in the world, reached the final in Adelaide with two walkovers in the previous rounds, and the 26-year-old will take on American Peyton Stearns in the first round in Melbourne.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Melbourne, editing by Peter Rutherford and Hugh Lawson)
