Lajal reaches Vancouver final and retakes Estonia’s top ranking

Mark Lajal reached his second North American Challenger final in two weeks and will return to the top of Estonia’s rankings, ERR reported.

Lajal defeated Canada’s Keegan Rice, ranked 831st by the ATP, 6-3, 6-2 in the Vancouver semifinal.

Rice broke Lajal’s serve in the second game, but Lajal had already broken his opponent’s serve once. The match remained close in several games, but Lajal made fewer errors, defended more consistently and took control at key moments.

Lajal’s first-serve percentage was 49 percent, below his usual level. However, he won 21 of 23 points on his first serve, or 91 percent. His ATP serving rating was slightly lower than in the quarterfinal, while his return game remained at the same high level.

Lajal’s opponent in the final has also been decided. He will overtake Daniil Glinka as Estonia’s top-ranked player after just one week, having already moved 20 ranking points ahead of Glinka before the final.

A tournament victory would give Lajal the highest ATP ranking of his career.