Top seed Carlos Alcaraz edged Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 on Sunday to claim his second Queen’s Club title and send out a powerful statement ahead of his Wimbledon defense.

Alcaraz, who triumphed at Queen’s Club a few weeks before claiming his first Wimbledon title in 2023, extended his winning streak to 18 matches but was pushed hard by the powerful Lehecka, who underlined his own credentials as a rising force.

Alcaraz, 22, pounced at 5-5 to break Lehecka’s serve en route to bagging the opening set in 45 minutes.

The 23-year-old Lehecka, bidding to become the first Czech player to win the Queen’s Club title since Ivan Lendl in 1990, continued going toe-to-toe with the five-time Grand Slam champion and won the second-set tiebreaker with some clinical tennis.

Alcaraz forged ahead 4-1 in the deciding set, however, as Lehecka’s level finally began to drop. Alcaraz again broke Lehecka’s serve to complete the win, letting out a roar of delight as his opponent struck a backhand into the net.

Alcaraz did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title.

Wimbledon starts June 30.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.