Lajal fires 21 aces to edge Vukic in Cincinnati qualifying

Mark Lajal came from a set down to beat Aleksandar Vukic 6-7 6-3 6-4 in the final round of qualifying at the Cincinnati Masters 1000. The Estonian's serve was the engine of the comeback: 21 aces, 65% of first serves landed and 85.1% of those points won, a figure Vukic could not match at 74.2%. The Australian was the tidier server in other respects, with just three double faults to Lajal's nine and a better second-serve return of 52.6% to 38.9%, but he could not turn that into a way past the Estonian's delivery once the opening tiebreak had passed. The win carried Lajal into the main draw.