Valentin Vacherot delivered the defining moment in Monaco’s Davis Cup history on Saturday, upsetting Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik to secure promotion to World Group I for the first time.

The 27-year-old produced a nerveless performance against world No. 10 Bublik, firing an ace out wide to close out a 7-6(4) 7-6(7) victory on his fifth match point before being engulfed by celebrating teammates. The result gave Monaco an unassailable 3-1 lead in the World Group I Play-off tie in Astana and confirmed their promotion to the competition’s second tier.

Vacherot’s win followed a dramatic doubles victory for Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys, who defeated Bublik and Beibit Zhukayev 6-7(1) 7-6(6) 7-6(5) after the Kazakhs held two match points.

The triumph marks another milestone in Vacherot’s meteoric rise, arguably the standout story in men’s tennis in recent times. Monaco now accedes to World Group I, bringing the summit of the Davis Cup pyramid significantly closer.

See also:

Valentin Vacherot receives hero’s welcome at Monte-Carlo Country Club

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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communications Department