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Lexus Eastbourne Open 2026: Jack Pinnington Jones up and running in Eastbourne

22 June 2026 • 2 minute read

Jack Pinnington Jones opened his campaign at the Lexus Eastbourne Open with a hard-fought first-round victory over lucky loser Marco Trungelliti.

The Brit looked on the brink of defeat, saving match point in the deciding set before battling back to secure a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 win in two hours and 47 minutes under the blistering Eastbourne sun.

One year on from making his ATP Tour debut at the event as a wild card, Pinnington Jones avenged his previous first-round exit to reach the second round at Devonshire Park for the first time.

The Brit was scheduled to play another Argentinian in Camilo Ugo Carabelli, who withdrew from the tournament just moments before the match got underway.

Instead, Pinnington Jones took on another Argentine in Trungelliti, where the 23-year-old secured his third win over a top 100 player this year, following his wins over world No.20 Flavio Cobolli and world No.68 Eliot Spizzirri en route to the quarter-final of the ATP 500 event in Dallas.

Speaking on adjusting to the last minute change of opponent and grasping his second ATP Tour-level win on grass, Pinnington Jones said, “It was pretty weird - 10 minutes before going on I was told it was a lucky loser playing. Marco (Trungelliti) is a veteran, he hit on the court with me this morning warming up - I knew he was around and ready to go.

Jack Advances at Home 🇬🇧🔥 | Pinnington Jones vs Trungelliti | Lexus Eastbourne Open 2026 Highlights

“It was a bit of a change, we obviously had a game plan for the other opponent and at the last minute had to throw something together and to be honest, I think I executed it reasonably well considering he's obviously an excellent player and I’m very happy to be through.”

In the next round, Pinnington Jones could be set to face fellow Brit and good friend Jack Draper, who is making his comeback this week in Eastbourne.

The former world No.4 and three-time ATP titleholder has been out of action with a knee injury since April but is back in action this week on the South Coast, with a potential all-British clash waiting in the next round.

“I’ll definitely be following the score, he’s a good friend of mine,” Pinnington Jones said. “I’m very excited to see him back, competing. I wish him all the best, he’s an unbelievable player and one of my best friends so I wish him all the best and I’ll be watching for sure.”

The British No.6 twice led by a break in the opening set but failed to hold on as the world No.94 recovered the deficit on both occasions. The pressure continued to mount on Pinnington Jones and, after facing his eighth break point of the set, coughed up a costly double fault to hand the Argentine the advantage and ultimately, a one set lead.

The world No.145 refused to let his head drop and looked to draw from the energy of the home crowd. He tightened up on serve noticeably in the second - claiming 62% (26/40) in the second compared to 49% (19/39) in the opener.

The wild card clinched the decisive breakthrough in the fourth game to catapult to a 4-1 lead before levelling the scoreboard to a set apiece.

After trading early breaks in the decider, Pinnington Jones soon found himself on the backfoot at 5-5 as Trungelliti dug up the first match point. The Brit responded with a bold forehand into the corner, drawing an error, before seizing the momentum in the following game.

Holding two match points of his own, Pinnington Jones sent a forehand pass that forced the error from his opponent before letting out a roar of celebration from securing his first win at Devonshire Park.

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