Benjamin Balleret


Benjamin Balleret is a professional tennis player from Monaco. His father, Bernard Balleret, is also a professional tennis player in the past. Balleret is a member of the Monaco Davis Cup team.

Tennis career

Juniors

As a junior Balleret reached as high as No. 19 in the junior world singles rankings in 2001.

Pro tour

Balleret is best known for his April 2006 fairy tale run to the third round of the Monte Carlo Open, an ATP Masters Series. Entering the tournament, he was ranked 351st in the world and had competed only in challenger tournaments and several Davis Cup matches. However, on 16 April 2006, he received a wild card into the qualifying draw of the Monte Carlo Open and won upsets over seeded, far more accomplished players than he including clay court specialist Albert Portas as well as U.S. Open and Wimbledon semi-finalist Jonas Björkman. These wins earned Balleret a spot in the main draw, and his performance there is what earned him international headlines. He won upsets over Christophe Rochus and Sébastien Grosjean. Balleret's impressive run came to an end in the third round, in which he lost to world number one Roger Federer.
After Balleret's performance at this prestigious clay court event, he shot up 134 positions in the rankings to World No. 217.
In 2013, Balleret and Guillaume Couillard played the longest professional tiebreak in known tennis history, lasting 70 points. Balleret won the match 7–6, 6–1 in the third qualifying round for the USA F1 Futures in Plantation, Florida. He won the Pensacola Futures tournament in 2013.