Mark Lajal reaches qualifying final at Spanish tennis tournament

Estonia's number one tennis player, Mark Lajal, has made a successful start in qualifying at an ATP Challenger 75 tournament being held at Rafael Nadal's academy in Mallorca, Spain.

Lajal, ranked 152nd in the ATP standings and competing on a wild card from the organizers, defeated 17-year-old Japanese player Motoharu Abe, ranked 1923rd, in the first qualifying round. The match lasted just over an hour and a half and ended 6:3, 6:2.

During the match, Lajal hit six aces but also made seven double faults. He converted three of his 14 break-point opportunities, while Abe failed to convert any of his three chances to break Lajal's serve. Lajal also won more total points overall, 76 to 54.

For a place in the main draw, Lajal will next face Romania's Adrian Boitan, ranked 500th in the ATP rankings. Boitan advanced by beating Britain's Louie Maxted, ranked 360th, 6:1, 6:1, in the first qualifying round.

Estonia's second-ranked player, Daniil Glinka, ranked 156th, is also competing at the Manacor tournament. Because he registered earlier, Glinka enters directly into the main draw. His first-round match is scheduled for September 1 against Spain's Daniel Rincon, ranked 208th.