Photo: Gabe Klein ~ WJR
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, July 28, 2025 ~ Estonian Mark Lajal captured the title at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic (CTC) in a thrilling three-set final.
The championship match featured Lajal against American Andres Martin. Both players advanced to the final with dominant semifinal performances. Lajal defeated Hsu Yu-hsiou 6-3, 6-0, while Martin upset fifth-seeded American Eliot Spizzirri 6-1, 7-6.
Sunday’s final was a dramatic, neck-and-neck battle that lasted three and a half hours and included two set tiebreakers. Martin claimed the first set by winning a tense tiebreak 9-7, rallying from a 0-3 deficit. Lajal responded with a hard-fought 7-5 win in the second set.
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(CONTINUED) The deciding set was a rollercoaster. Lajal was broken twice on serve but managed to break back each time to stay in the match. Martin had five match points but was unable to convert any of them. Ultimately, Lajal triumphed in the third-set tiebreaker, edging it 11-9.
“This is one of the best Challenger tournaments that I’ve come back to,” said Lajal in his post-match speech. “I felt so welcomed here, and it was just an absolutely lovely week.”
With this win, Lajal is now ranked a career-best No. 147 in the world. He is right back in action tomorrow at the ATP Challenger tournament in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Cranbrook Tennis Classic is expected to return next summer, offering an excellent opportunity for tennis fans in Michigan to experience professional tennis locally.
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