FLUSHING, N.Y.? Former University of Kentucky men?s tennis standout Jesse Witten advanced to the third round of competition in the United States Open Singles qualifying action Thursday.

Witten needed three sets to shake Spain?s Pablo Andujar the No. 194 ranked player in the world. He advanced with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory.

In the first set of competition, Witten used a flourish of four-consecutive wins to shake a two-all tie to capture the first set.

Andujar triumphed for a 6-3 second set victory to force the match into a final set. The back-and-forth battle continued as Witten and Andujar were deadlocked at two again in the third set, before Witten rattled off another string of four victories to claim the match.

Witten soundly beat Scott Oudsema 7-5, 7-5 in the first round Tuesday. He will take the court again Friday in the third round of competition. Witten is attempting to play into the main draw of the U.S. Open slated to begin play August 28.

Live results of the competition can be found at www.usopen.org.