It could have been a straightforward win for Benjamin Bonzi — but in the end it was Dušan Lajović who walked away victorious. The Serb won their qualifying match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati 2–6, 7–6, 7–6, showing extraordinary composure when it mattered most.
Bonzi dominates the opening set
The first set belonged emphatically to the Frenchman. Bonzi, ranked 103rd in the world and carrying a significant ranking advantage over 149th-ranked Lajović, controlled proceedings from the baseline and took the set 6–2. His two-handed backhand worked a treat on the outdoor hard courts from the very first game, while Lajović — regarded as a committed clay-court specialist — struggled to find his rhythm on the faster surface. The numbers from the opening set told a clear story.
Lajović turns the match around through two tiebreaks
But the Serb refused to fold. The second set developed into an evenly contested battle that was ultimately settled in a tiebreak — and that is where Lajović showed his best quality, winning it 7–2 to level the match at one set apiece. The third set followed the same pattern: neither player could pull clear, and again a tiebreak was needed to separate them. This time it was even tighter — Lajović edged it 9–7 to seal an overall victory.
Statistically, the match was almost perfectly balanced. Lajović held serve on 69 percent of his service games, while Bonzi managed an impressive 94 percent. The decisive difference came in the tiebreaks rather than in the service games themselves. Lajović converted just 14 percent of his break points, while Bonzi converted 43 percent of his. Yet none of that ultimately mattered for Lajović, because he kept his nerve in both tiebreaks when the chips were down.
Bonzi racked up 46 unforced errors across the three sets — four more than Lajović. The Frenchman also produced five double faults, the same number as his opponent. His eleven aces to Lajović's seven reflected his strong serving throughout, but impressive serve statistics counted for nothing once Bonzi came up short in both tiebreaks.
Lajović takes a significant step towards the main draw
For Lajović, the victory is a meaningful step towards reaching the main draw of one of the season's most prestigious Masters 1000 events. The 36-year-old, whose career-high ranking of 23rd — achieved back in 2019 — is now a distant memory, had been showing an upturn in form with a semifinal run at the Lexington Challenger. This comeback win over Bonzi, who had beaten Lajović 7–5, 6–3 in their only previous encounter in Paris in 2023, will only add to his growing confidence. Cincinnati — the last major hard-court tournament before the US Open — remains a goal he has now moved one step closer to reaching.
