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Mark Lajal

{{Short description|Estonian tennis player (born 2003)}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

|name = Mark Lajal

|image = Mark Lajal (2023 US Open) 08 (cropped).jpg

|caption = Lajal at the 2023 US Open

|fullname =

|country = {{EST}}

|residence =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|2003|05|12}}

|birth_place =Tallinn, Estonia

|height = 191cm

|weight =

|turnedpro =

|plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

|coach=Wayne Black, Karl Kiur Saar

|college =

|careerprizemoney = $148,301

|singlesrecord = {{tennis record|won=4|lost=5|details=at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup}}

|singlestitles = 0

|highestsinglesranking = No. 191 (20 November 2023)

|currentsinglesranking = No. 200 (7 April 2025)

|AustralianOpenresult = Q3 (2025)

|FrenchOpenresult = Q1 (2024)

|Wimbledonresult = 1R (2024)

|USOpenresult = Q1 (2023)

|doublesrecord = {{tennis record|won=0|lost=0|details=at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup}}

|doublestitles = 0

|highestdoublesranking = No. 710 (9 September 2024)

|currentdoublesranking = No. 710 (9 September 2024)

|Team = yes

|DavisCupresult = 1–3

|updated = 9 April 2025

}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Estonia {{!}} PIF ATP Rankings (Singles) {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis |url=http://www.atptour.com/en/rankings/singles?rankrange=0-5000®ion=EST |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=ATP Tour |language=en}}

He has won three ITF singles titles and a Challenger title.{{Cite web |title=Mark Lajal: 'I Wasn't Supposed To Be A Tennis Player' {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis |url=http://www.atptour.com/en/news/lajal-challenger-feature-2023-august |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=ATP Tour |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/pacific-oceania-loses-to-estonia-in-return-to-group-2/|title=Pacific Oceania loses to Estonia in return to Group 2|website=www.saipantribune.com}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-05 |title=Lajal takes Little Rock Open title {{!}} Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2023/jun/05/lajal-takes-little-rock-open-title/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.nwaonline.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kust |first=Damian |date=2023-06-05 |title=Challenger Tour Weekly Recap: Mark Lajal Becomes Estonia's Second-Ever Challenger Champion |url=https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/06/05/challenger-tour-weekly-recap-mark-lajal/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Last Word On Tennis |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Mark Lajal, 20, Wins Maiden Challenger Title In Just 6th Outing {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis |url=http://www.atptour.com/en/news/lajal-zhukayev-little-rock-challenger-2023-final |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=ATP Tour |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=European Open: 20-year-old Lajal makes dream debut, defeating Munar in first match |url=https://www.tennismajors.com/atp/european-open-lajal-moves-into-second-round-721343.html |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Tennis Majors |language=en-US}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/wimbledon-qualifying-2024-thursday|title=Pouille headlines quartet of French qualifiers at Wimbledon|website=ATPtour.com|date=27 June 2024|accessdate=27 June 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://news.err.ee/1609383767/estonia-s-mark-lajal-to-make-first-career-grand-slam-appearance-at-wimbledon|title=Estonia's Mark Lajal to make first career Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon|date=28 June 2024|accessdate=28 June 2024}}

He lost in straight sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz on his debut.{{cite web|url=https://www.tennismajors.com/atp/alcaraz-wimbledon-estonia-everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-mark-lajal-but-never-had-time-to-find-out-770334.html|title=Alcaraz, Wimbledon, Estonia: Everything you always wanted to know about Mark Lajal (but never had time to find out)|date=28 June 2024|accessdate=28 June 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cv2gwzd97glo|title=Wimbledon results 2024: Carlos Alcaraz opens Wimbledon defence with win over Mark Lajal|date=July 1, 2024|website=BBC Sport}}

In August, Lajal reached his second career Challenger final in Zhangjiagang, losing to Yasutaka Uchiyama in the final.{{cite web | url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/debru-buse-como-challenger-2024-final | title=#NextGenATP Debru joins Gasquet, Monfils in French Challenger history | ATP Tour | Tennis|date=2 September 2024 }}

Performance timeline

= Singles =

Current through the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.

class=wikitable style=text-align:center;
Tournament20232024SRW–L

!Win%

colspan=7 align="left" |Grand Slam tournaments
align=left|Australian Open

|A

|bgcolor=f0f8ff|Q1

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|French Open

|A

|bgcolor=ecf2ff|Q1

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}}

align=left|Wimbledon

|A

|bgcolor=afeeee|1R

|0 / 1

|0–1

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}}

align=left|US Open

|bgcolor=f0f8ff|Q1

|A

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=1|integer=yes}}

style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef

|style=text-align:left|Win–loss

|0–0

|0–1

|0 / 1

|0–1

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}}

colspan=7 align="left" |ATP Masters 1000
align=left|Indian Wells Masters

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Miami Open

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Monte-Carlo Masters

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Madrid Open

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Italian Open

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Canadian Open

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Cincinnati Masters

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Shanghai Masters

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

align=left|Paris Masters

|A

|

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef

|style=text-align:left|Win–loss

|0–0

|0–0

|0 / 0

|0–0

|bgcolor=efefef|{{Tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}}

colspan="7" align="left" |Career statistics
style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef

|

20232024colspan="3" |Career
bgcolor=efefef

|align=left|Tournaments

|1

|0

| colspan="3" | 1

style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef

|style=text-align:left|Titles

|0

|0

| colspan="3" | 0

style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef

|style=text-align:left|Finals

|0

|0

| colspan="3" | 0

style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef

|style=text-align:left|Overall win–loss

|1–1

|0–0

| colspan="3" |2–3

bgcolor=efefef

|align=left|Year-end ranking

|206

|

| colspan="3" |{{tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=3|integer=yes}}

ATP Challenger Tour finals

=Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)=

valign=top

|

{|class=wikitable style=font-size:97%

!Legend

bgcolor=moccasin

|ATP Challenger Tour (1–1)

|

|}

class="sortable wikitable"

!Result

!class="unsortable"|W–L

!{{ns}}Date{{ns}}

!Tournament

!Tier

!Surface

!Opponent

!class="unsortable"|Score

bgcolor=98FB98|Win

|1–0

|2023 Little Rock Challenger – Singles

|bgcolor=moccasin|Little Rock, USA

|bgcolor=moccasin|Challenger

|Hard

|{{flagicon|KAZ}} Beibit Zhukayev

|6–4, 7–5

bgcolor=FFA07A|Loss

|1–1

|2024 International Challenger Zhangjiagang – Singles

|bgcolor=moccasin|Zhangjiagang, China

|bgcolor=moccasin|Challenger

|Hard

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Yasutaka Uchiyama

|7–6(7–4), 2–6, 2–6

ITF World Tennis Tour finals

=Singles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)=

valign=top

|

{|class=wikitable style=font-size:97%

!Legend

bgcolor=cffcff

|ITF WTT (3–2)

|

|}

class="sortable wikitable"

!Result

!class="unsortable"|W–L

!{{ns}}Date{{ns}}

!Tournament

!Tier

!Surface

!Opponent

!class="unsortable"|Score

bgcolor=98FB98|Win

|1–0

|{{dts|May 2022}}

|style="background:#cffcff;"|M15 Heraklion, Greece

|style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT

|Hard

|{{flagicon|CZE}} Dominik Palan

|6–4, 6–3

bgcolor=98FB98|Win

|2–0

|{{dts|Aug 2022}}

|style="background:#cffcff;"|M15 Monastir, Tunisia

|style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT

|Hard

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine

|6–2, 3–6, 6–3

bgcolor=FFA074|Loss

|2–1

|{{dts|Aug 2022}}

|style="background:#cffcff;"|M15 Monastir, Tunisia

|style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT

|Hard

|{{flagicon|CHN}} Te Rigele

|3–6, 6–3, 5–7

bgcolor=FFA074|Loss

|2–2

|{{dts|Sep 2022}}

|style="background:#cffcff;"|M25 Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France

|style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT

|Hard

|{{flagicon|BEL}} Joris De Loore

|3–6, 0–6

bgcolor=98FB98|Win

|3–2

|{{dts|Dec 2022}}

|style="background:#cffcff;"|M25 Monastir, Tunisia

|style="background:#cffcff;"|WTT

|Hard

|{{flagicon|CHN}} Bu Yunchaokete

|6–4, 6–1

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{sports links}}

{{Top ten Baltic male singles tennis players}}

{{Top male singles tennis players by country|EST}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lajal, Mark}}

Category:2003 births

Category:Living people

Category:Estonian male tennis players

Category:21st-century Estonian sportsmen

Category:Tennis players from Tallinn