The Blanch family lives and breathes tennis, with three brothers and one sister striving to make a name for themselves in the professional circuit. The eldest sibling, Ulises, blazed a trail, taking his first steps in the sport at the age of five and passing on his knowledge to his younger siblings.
Ulises reached a career high of the top-250 in 202, securing two Challenger titles before experiencing a decline and dropping out of the top-400. He then began competing in a combination of Challenger and Futures tournaments. Dali Blanch, aged 20, has been playing in professional events since 2020. He reached his first Futures final last year and has high hopes for a successful season.
Ulises and Dali recently traveled to Tunisia to participate in the M15 Monastir Futures. Fate had it that the two brothers would face each other in the first round, with Dali emerging victorious with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Ulises after an hour and 40 minutes of play.
Their first encounter occurred last year at the Poznan Challenger, where Ulises emerged as the winner after three sets.
Having learned from their previous match, the younger Dali started strongly in Monastir and secured the victory with a late break in the second set. Dali showcased his skills with 12 aces and outperformed Ulises on his second serve. Both brothers had nine opportunities to break each other’s serve, but it was Dali who displayed composure in crucial moments.
Dali saved eight break points and capitalized on four breaks to secure the win without the need for a deciding set. He began the match with a strong hold, saving three game points from his brother and securing an early break for a 2-0 lead.
In the third game, the 20-year-old fought off two break points and held his serve, further solidifying his advantage. Ulises managed to reduce the deficit in the fourth game and made a comeback attempt in the following one.
However, Dali denied his brother’s break chances and held his serve to extend his lead to 4-1. Ulises missed his opportunities and struggled with his serve in the sixth game, committing a double fault and allowing Dali to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
Dali served for the first set in the seventh game and comfortably held at love, securing a 6-1 victory and gaining momentum. In the second set, the younger Blanch continued his strong performance on the return, converting his fourth break point to take a set and a break lead.
Dali served two aces in the second game, holding at love and maintaining his dominance. He denied a break point in the fourth game, winning nine out of the first 11 games and asserting his control.
Ulises then made a comeback, winning 12 of the next 14 points and claiming three consecutive games to take a 4-3 lead. However, Dali halted his brother’s progress in game eight, saving three break points and sealing the game with two aces to level the score at 4-4.
In game ten, the younger Blanch served to stay in the set and held his nerve, securing a crucial hold and putting the pressure back on his brother. Dali then broke Ulises’ serve at 15 in game 11, taking a pivotal 6-5 lead. He closed out the match with two aces in game 12, celebrating his first victory over his brother.