Mark Lajal out in round one in Chicago
Mark Lajal went out in round one of the ATP Challenger 75 tournament in Chicago earlier this week, in a closely fought match against Nishesh Basavareddy (US) which ended in a loss in three sets for the Estonian, 2:6, 7:6 (8:6), 7:5.
Lajal is currently ranked 249th by the ATP, 54 places above Basavareddy.
Lajal came to the main tournament table via qualifying, first defeating American Bruno Kuzuhara in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) then beating Japan's Rio Noguchi 6-3, 6-2.
On the day, Lajal won the first set convincingly, but after being 5:4 up in the second set, he lost his service on the next game, taking things to a tiebreak. The Estonian trailed 4:0 in that tiebreak, but fought back to lead 6:5, earning a match point.
However, the 19-year-old Basavareddy, who entered the tournament on a wild card, rescued the match point and won the next two points, taking the set.
In the decider he then broke Lajal's serve to lead 6-5, and secured the match in the following game.
Lajal's profile was raised considerably at the Wimbledon Championships early on this month, after he performed well against defending champion, eventual winner and world number three Carlos Alcaraz (Spain).
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Siim Boikov
