Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech’s remarkable performance at the Rolex Shanghai Masters ended in fairytale fashion on Sunday, as Vacherot rallied to beat his cousin and former university teammate 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to capture his first tour-level title. In doing so, the Monegasque world No. 204 became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990).
“It’s unreal what just happened. I have no idea what’s happening right now. I’m not even dreaming, it’s just crazy,” Vacherot said. “I’m so happy with my performance over the last two weeks. I want to thank everyone who has helped my career from the beginning. There has to be one loser, but I think there are two winners today. One family that won and I think the story for the sport of tennis is unreal.”
Playing in front of a packed stadium at one of the ATP Tour’s biggest events, the setting for the final couldn’t be further removed from the pair’s Texas A&M University days, where they played side-by-side in 2018.
Seven years later they parted ways. Rinderknech arrived in Shanghai with a career-high of No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings, with his best finish being a final run at the ATP 250 in Adelaide in 2022. Until this week, he had never advanced beyond the third round at a Masters 1000 event.
However, Vacherot’s rise proved even more unlikely. The 26-year-old entered the tournament with just one tour-level victory to his name, achieved in Monte Carlo earlier this year. He became the lowest-ranked finalist in the history of the Masters 1000 (since 1990) and, over the course of two unforgettable weeks, rewrote the trajectory of his career.
After battling through qualifying, the 26-year-old secured victory against Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac and Tallon Greekpoor to become the first player to represent Monaco and reach a Masters 1000 quarter-final. He then stunned Holger Rune and four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic to reach the title match.
In a compelling finale, Vacherot once again showed his resilience. He came from a set down for the sixth time this tournament, including qualifying, and became the first player representing Monaco to win a tour-level title in the Open Era. He is also only the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 crown, joining Roberto Carretero (Hamburg 1996) and Albert Portas (Hamburg 2001).
“I feel like when I’m down, I have no choice and I have to bring my best game,” Vacherot said of his impressive record coming from behind. “I didn’t do that in the first set and he played better than me. I took my first chance to break in the second set and from that moment on the crowd got more involved and we put on more of a show in the second part of the match.”
From alternative to MASTERS 1000 CHAMPION?
World number 204 Valentin Vacherot beats cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6 6-3 6-3 to claim the crown in Shanghai.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/SPr3iupUQR
— ATP tour (@atptour) October 12, 2025
The Monegasque is the eighth champion on Tour this season and only the fifth man in ATP Masters 1000 history to claim his first tour title at this level, after Jakub Mensik, who achieved the feat in Miami earlier this year.
Vacherot leaves Shanghai with a rise of 164 places to number 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will reach the Top 100 and Top 50 for the first time on Monday. He also takes home $1,124,380 in prize money, having earned $594,077 for his entire career before the two weeks.
“I was just trying to beat the guy on the other side of the net,” Vacherot said of the dynamics of the confrontation with Rinderknech. “Try to put aside the fact that it’s my cousin and the guy I trained with and grew up with. It was very tough and he did better than me in the first set and was able to handle the pressure. But I just found a way to turn the tide.”
Throughout the fortnight, Rinderknech and Vacherot supported each other from the sidelines, cheering each other on and exchanging words of encouragement both in person and through their family group chat.
Vacherot had a front-row seat for Rinderknech’s eye-catching run, which included victories against Top 20 opponents Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev. On Sunday he experienced firsthand how difficult it is to beat his cousin.
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Rinderknech hit 12 winners and made only two unforced errors in an impressive opening set game. The 30-year-old grabbed the ball early to rush Vacherot and secured the decisive break of the first set in the third game to lead in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.
Vacherot responded in the second set. The 26-year-old kept Rinderknech deep behind the baseline and got the first goal in the exchanges to dictate the pace. From 3-3 in the second set, Vacherot broke Rinderknech in consecutive games and led through a break in the third set. From then on, he continued to play aggressively, making long cuts to the ball to dominate. He won 92 percent of his first service points in the decider and made just one unforced error in the third set, completing the biggest win of his life after two hours and eleven minutes.
Rinderknech has moved up 26 places to No. 28 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career high on Monday. The 30-year-old recorded his 100th tour-level win in the semi-finals to become the ninth French Masters 1000 finalist in the history of the series.
Did you know?
Rinderknech’s meeting with Vacherot was only the third completely unseeded Masters 1000 final in the history of the series.
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