VANCOUVER/STARNBERG, August 1, 2026

Mark Lajal and J.J. Wolf will contest the singles final at the Odlum Brown VanOpen ATP Challenger Tour event after both produced commanding semifinal performances on Saturday in Vancouver.

Eighth seed Lajal of Estonia ended the memorable run of Canadian wild card Keegan Rice with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory in one hour and 19 minutes. The 22-year-old dominated behind his serve, firing five aces and winning 91 percent of his first-service points while breaking Rice five times to control the match from the baseline.

Lajal admitted it took some time to adjust to Centre Court and the energetic home crowd.

“In the beginning it was a bit difficult because I hadn’t played on this court before, so I had to get used to it. He was coming out firing, so I had to deal with that. But I’m happy with my performance, I’m happy to be in the final, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

The Estonian also acknowledged the enthusiastic Canadian fans following the match.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming out. I’m sorry for beating your countryman, but he’s a great player, he’s playing well, so good luck to him.”

Looking ahead to the final, Lajal said his immediate priority would be recovery before returning to compete for the title. He also praised both the venue and the host city.

“I think it’s unbelievably beautiful. The views and everything are so nice. Before coming here I knew about Vancouver, but I didn’t really know what to expect. I’m really enjoying my time here.”

Awaiting Lajal in Sunday’s championship match is US-American J.J. Wolf, who continued his strong week with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Japanese qualifier Jay Friend in 87 minutes.

The former World No. 39 delivered an outstanding serving performance, striking six aces and winning 93 percent of his first-service points without facing a single break point. Wolf converted two of his eight break-point opportunities and conceded just 13 points on return throughout the match, controlling the tempo from start to finish to book his place in the final against Lajal.

Back where he belongs 💪

J.J. Wolf moves into his first ATP Challenger final since 2021 after defeating Friend 6-3, 6-4 in Vancouver#ATPChallenger | @vanopentennis pic.twitter.com/DhjeiEyD1P

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) August 1, 2026