_08_(cropped).jpg) Lajal at the 2023 US Open | |
| Country (sports) |  Estonia |
|---|---|
| Born | (2003-05-12) 12 May 2003 (age 21) Tallinn, Estonia |
| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Wayne Black, Karl Kiur Saar |
| Prize money | $148,301 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 3–5 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 191 (20 November 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 224 (9 September 2024) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | Q3 (2025) |
| French Open | Q1 (2024) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2024) |
| US Open | Q1 (2023) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–0 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 710 (9 September 2024) |
| Current ranking | No. 710 (9 September 2024) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | 1–3 |
| Last updated on: 9 September 2024. | |
Mark Lajal (born 12 May 2003) is an Estonian tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 191, achieved on 20 November 2023. He also has a career high ATP doubles ranking of No. 710, achieved on 9 September 2024. He is currently the No. 1 Estonian player.
He has won three ITF singles titles and a Challenger title.
On the junior tour, he had a career high ITF combined ranking of No. 13, achieved on 30 August 2021.
Lajal represents Estonia at the Davis Cup, where he has a W/L record of 1–2.
Career
2023: Maiden Challenger title, ATP debut and first win, top 200
He won his first Challenger title in Little Rock, Arkansas. He became the first Estonian to win a Challenger title before his 21st birthday and Estonia’s second ever Challenger champion.
Ranked No. 229 on his ATP debut, he received a wildcard for the main draw of the 2023 European Open and defeated Jaume Munar for his first ATP win. He then lost to 4th seed and eventual finalist Arthur Fils in the second round.
As a lucky loser at the Bergamo Challenger, Lajal beat Jelle Sels, Ugo Blanchet and the opponent he lost to in qualifying, Pierre-Hugues Herbert to reach the semifinals, where he lost to David Goffin in 3 sets. As a result, he made his debut in the top 200.
2024: Grand Slam debut
In July, ranked No. 262, Lajal made his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon after a successful qualifying campaign in which he ousted 25th qualifying seed Francesco Passaro, Henrique Rocha and fourth seed James Duckworth. He became the first Estonian man to reach a Grand Slam main draw since Jürgen Zopp at the 2018 Roland Garros. He lost in straight sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz on his debut.
In August, Lajal reached his second career Challenger final in Zhangjiagang, losing to Yasutaka Uchiyama in the final.
Performance timeline
Singles
Current through the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.
| Tournament | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L | Win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||
| Australian Open | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| French Open | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | 0% | |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| US Open | Q1 | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | 50% | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| ATP Masters 1000 | ||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Miami Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Madrid Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Italian Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Canadian Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Cincinnati Masters | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Shanghai Masters | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Paris Masters | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Career statistics | ||||||
| 2023 | 2024 | Career | ||||
| Tournaments | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Overall win–loss | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | |||
| Year-end ranking | 206 | 40% | ||||
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jun 2023 | Little Rock, USA | Challenger | Hard |  Beibit Zhukayev
|
6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Aug 2024 | Zhangjiagang, China | Challenger | Hard |  Yasutaka Uchiyama
|
7–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
ITF World Tennis Tour finals
Singles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | May 2022 | M15 Heraklion, Greece | WTT | Hard |  Dominik Palan
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | Aug 2022 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard |  Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine
|
6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Aug 2022 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard |  Te Rigele
|
3–6, 6–3, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Sep 2022 | M25 Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France | WTT | Hard |  Joris De Loore
|
3–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 3–2 | Dec 2022 | M25 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Bu Yunchaokete
|
6–4, 6–1 |
References
- "ATP Rankings | PIF ATP Rankings (Singles) | ATP Tour | Tennis | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- "Mark Lajal: 'I Wasn't Supposed To Be A Tennis Player' | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- "Pacific Oceania loses to Estonia in return to Group 2". www.saipantribune.com.
- "Lajal takes Little Rock Open title | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette". www.nwaonline.com. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- Kust, Damian (2023-06-05). "Challenger Tour Weekly Recap: Mark Lajal Becomes Estonia's Second-Ever Challenger Champion". Last Word On Tennis. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- "Mark Lajal, 20, Wins Maiden Challenger Title In Just 6th Outing | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- "European Open: 20-year-old Lajal makes dream debut, defeating Munar in first match". Tennis Majors. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- "Pouille headlines quartet of French qualifiers at Wimbledon". ATPtour.com. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- "Estonia's Mark Lajal to make first career Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon". 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- "Alcaraz, Wimbledon, Estonia: Everything you always wanted to know about Mark Lajal (but never had time to find out)". 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- "Wimbledon results 2024: Carlos Alcaraz opens Wimbledon defence with win over Mark Lajal". BBC Sport. July 1, 2024.
- "#NextGenATP Debru joins Gasquet, Monfils in French Challenger history | ATP Tour | Tennis". 2 September 2024.
External links
- Mark Lajal at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Mark Lajal at the International Tennis Federation
- Mark Lajal at the Davis Cup
| Association of Tennis Professionals: Top ten male singles tennis players from the Baltic states | |
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| as of 17 June 2024 | |
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18)
| Association of Tennis Professionals Top Estonian male singles tennis players | |
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| As of Jan 12, 2025 | |
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