Shanghai, China – The Shanghai Masters 1000 witnessed a surprising victory that shook the tennis world. Serbian Novak Djokovic fell to Monegasque Valentin Vacherot in the semifinals, with a score of 6-3 and 6-4. Vacherot, who started the tournament as a substitute in the qualifying phase, demonstrated an impressive performance, surpassing Djokovic and advancing to the first ATP final of his career. This triumph represents a milestone for the Monegasque tennis player, becoming the first player from his country to reach a Masters 1000 final. Djokovic, visibly physically affected during the match, could not keep up with the intensity and confidence of Vacherot, currently ranked 204th in the world.
With this victory, Vacherot will rise to 58th place in the ranking, his best position to date. The 26-year-old tennis player will face the winner of the match between Arthur Rinderknech and Daniil Medvedev in the final. Vacherot joins a select group of players who have managed to reach their first ATP final in a Masters 1000 this century, following in the footsteps of Alejandro Davidovich in Monte Carlo 2022. The Monegasque tennis player acknowledged that the atmosphere in the stadium was mostly on Djokovic’s side, a four-time champion in Shanghai:I am not aware of what has happened. It’s crazy.
Valentin Vacherot
It was an hour and 40 minutes of pure joy, although many people didn’t want it to continue. They were with Novak, and I understand. But it was an unforgettable experience. Now I just want to enjoy tonight and think about tomorrow’s final.
Valentin Vacherot
