Valentin Vacherot Shocks at the Shanghai Masters
In a performance that will be etched in tennis history, Valentin Vacherot was crowned champion of the Shanghai Masters, after defeating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. This triumph marks the first title of his professional career and comes after an impressive run from the qualifying rounds. Vacherot, currently ranked 204th in the world, starred in one of the biggest surprises in the history of the ATP Masters 1000, becoming the champion with the lowest ranking in the history of the tournament. In addition, he is the first tennis player from the small Principality of Monaco to achieve this feat. Vacherot’s performance was simply spectacular. In the semifinals, Vacherot surprised the tennis world by defeating Novak Djokovic, champion of 24 Grand Slam titles, preparing for a final against Rinderknech, who in turn had beaten Daniil Medvedev, finalist of four majors and champion of the 2021 US Open, in a memorable semifinal. In the third set, Vacherot demonstrated his dominance with the serve, achieving three consecutive blank games and adding 15 points in a row before committing an unforced error in the eighth game. Rinderknech, fighting to stay in the match with a score of 15-40, saved a match point. However, Vacherot, with a powerful forehand, secured the victory. Visibly emotional, Vacherot put his hands to his face before hugging his cousin and then ran towards his team to celebrate with his coach Benjamin Balleret, who is his half-brother and former tennis player. The highlight of Balleret’s career was a defeat against Roger Federer in the early rounds of the Monte Carlo Masters in 2006. Nineteen years later, Federer was present in the Shanghai audience, witnessing Rinderknech take the first set with an ace. Vacherot secured an early break in the decisive set and then squandered four break opportunities in the fifth game, allowing Rinderknech to recover. The Frenchman requested a three-minute medical timeout to receive treatment on his back and shoulder.Despite this, he couldn’t stop his cousin’s impulse.
Before this encounter, they had never faced each other on the professional circuit, with Rinderknech winning their only encounter in a futures tournament in 2018.
