Pablo Andujar elbows his way into US Open breakthrough showing

Pablo Andujar continues to inspire after undergoing multiple surgeries on his right elbow.

On Saturday, in his 32nd main draw appearance at a Grand Slam event, the 33-year-old reached the fourth round for the first time. He brushed aside Alexander Bublik, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, in just under two hours to secure the milestone at the US Open.

With his run, Andujar is in prime position to break back into the Top 50. Here’s a rundown of his tremendous story of persistence.

1

Before his elbow issue first flared up, Andujar was a three-time ATP singles champion, with all of his triumphs coming on clay. He ascended to No. 32 in the world in July of 2015 after advancing to the third round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

2

The Spaniard underwent his first of three surgeries in March of 2016. He began his first comeback that September, reaching back-to-back Challenger semifinals, but went under the knife again—this time with a different doctor—in November following three successive defeats in ATP qualifying.

3

Andujar was operated on by a third doctor five months later. All was not lost for him in 2017, as wife Cristina gave birth to their first son, Pablo Jr., at the end of July.

4

Ranked 1701 in the year-end 2017 rankings, Andujar beat the odds in a remarkable comeback season. In 2018, he won his fourth ATP crown in Marrakech and added three Challenger trophies to cement his unlikely Top 100 return.

5

After a slow start to his 2019 campaign, his family welcomed a second son, Alex, in February. Since that addition, Andujar once again thrived on clay. He won three more Challenger titles and returned to the Marrakech final, finishing runner-up to Benoit Paire.

Andujar will face the winner of Gael Monfils and Denis Shapovalov on Monday.