After a suspenseful match, Blanchet defeats Mensik and secures a spot in the US Open third round
Ugo Blanchet, 26, has emerged as one of the surprises in the men's draw at the US Open. The Frenchman, ranked 184th in the world and coming through the qualifiers, claimed the biggest victory of his career by defeating Jakub Mensik in a super tie-break of the fifth set (6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6).
In his first-ever duel against a top 20 player, Blanchet matched his opponent from the baseline but also showed flair, winning 34 of his 41 points played at the net. He sealed the win on his first match point with an ace, his 13th of the match.
Mensik certainly did damage with his serve (29 aces), but he was not effective enough on return in the last two sets to hope for victory.
In his first main draw appearance at a Grand Slam, Blanchet advances to the third round, where he will face world No. 22 Tomas Machac. He will also jump more than 40 spots in the rankings, virtually reaching 143rd.
US Open 
