Lajal had initially been due to face world number 36 Ugo Humbert on Tuesday, but the latter pulled out at the last minute, meaning Jacquet, ranked 310th in the world, was bumped into that vacancy as a "lucky loser," after losing his qualification decider round in three sets to his compatriot, Jules Marie.

Lajal, ranked 239th by the ATP, started well and first broke his opponent's serve in game six of set one, repeating that feat two games later to win the set 6:2.

Set two was more evenly matched, and Jacquet went ahead 1:0 after breaking; Lajal, 20, returned the favor in the very next game, but then found himself broken in game three and soon 4:2 down in games.

However, the Estonian was able to turn things around, leveling things up in games and, with two more service breaks, taking the set 7:5 and with it the match.

Playing with passion @marklajal

The 20-year-old moves into the second round in Saint-Tropez after defeating Jacquet 6-2, 7-5#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/zpLdk1Hdot

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 19, 2023

Lajal served up three aces and won 81 percent of his first service points, compared with four aces and 52 percent for his opponent.

Lajal converted five out of 13 break points presented to him, Jacquet, two out of five.

Lajal next faces Gijs Brouwer (Netherlands, ATP 179th), who defeated French player Mathias Bourgue 6:2, 6:2 in the opening round.

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