Cincinnati, August 13, 2026 – Mark Lajal has fought his way into the 2026 Cincinnati Open main draw with a gritty 6:7, 6:3, 6:4 victory over Aleksandar Vukic on the outdoor hard courts in Cincinnati. For the 23-year-old Estonian, his country's number one and a Davis Cup representative, it was his second consecutive qualifying win: he had previously beaten Dalibor Svrcina in the opening round.
Tiebreak hands Vukic the first set
The opening set evolved into an evenly contested battle between two big servers. Both men dominated on serve and offered little in the way of break points. Ultimately, a tiebreak was needed to separate them – and there Vukic held the upper hand, winning it 7:3. The Australian, born in Sydney in 1996, who plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand, appeared to be on course at that stage. Lajal, however, was unfazed.
Lajal turns the match around – serve proves the key
The second set saw Lajal raise his level considerably. He converted his break points with clinical efficiency, repelled Vukic's break point opportunities with determination, and took the set comfortably at 6:3. The statistics underlined his dominance on serve across the match: Lajal held serve on 94 percent of his service games, fired 21 aces, and won 85 percent of points on his first serve. That built a rhythm Vukic could not disrupt in the deciding third set.
The third set remained tight for a spell before Lajal produced the decisive breaks to close out the match 6:4. His break point conversion rate finished at 60 percent, while Vukic converted just 20 percent of his break points. That told the story of the match: Lajal was markedly more effective on return, winning 20 percent of his return games, compared to just six percent for Vukic.
A strong comeback from a rising talent
With two ATP Challenger titles already to his name, Lajal once again demonstrated that he must be taken seriously as a player on the rise. The Estonian struck 37 winners but also produced 39 unforced errors and nine double faults – hallmarks of an aggressive, attacking style that on this day in Cincinnati earned him more points than it cost. Vukic for his part also delivered solid tennis, posting 36 winners and 15 aces, yet his break point conversion rate of just 20 percent ultimately sealed his defeat.
Mark Lajal now advances into the main draw of the last major tournament before the US Open – a stage on which the young Estonian will have every opportunity to showcase his quality once more.
