Jiri Lehecka achieved a significant milestone on Saturday by advancing to his first grass-court final at the HSBC Championships, where he ended British No. 1 Jack Draper's hopes on home turf.

The 23-year-old Lehecka faced a vocal crowd in west London and a determined Draper, ultimately winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Despite dropping his first set of the week at the ATP 500 at Queen's Club, Lehecka showed resilience in a tense deciding set, securing a spot in the biggest final of his career.

Lehecka, who is the first Czech man to reach a tour-level grass final since Tomas Berdych in 2010, will now await the winner between top seed Carlos Alcaraz and Roberto Bautista Agut for Sunday's final.

Draper, the second seed, aimed to follow in the footsteps of Andy Murray as a British male singles winner at the event but fell short. However, he will achieve a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings after securing a Top 4 seeding at Wimbledon.

With the support of the British crowd, Draper raised his game in the next two sets, but Lehecka's consistent performance throughout the week helped him secure his second Top 10 win of the season.

Lehecka, who missed last year's grass swing due to injury, has made a strong comeback this year, emphasizing his potential on the surface. By reaching the final in London, he also claimed his second Top 10 win of the season.

After a successful run in Stuttgart last week, Lehecka's victory over Draper in the semi-finals at Queen's Club has propelled him to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, just three spots away from his career-high ranking.