The dream continues for Valentin Vacherot.
An already epic saga at the Rolex Shanghai Masters added another chapter – by far the best – on Saturday afternoon when Vacherot defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals. The world number 204 broke Djokovic three times in straight sets as he prevailed in one hour and 42 minutes.
Vacherot, 26, is the lowest-ranked finalist in the history of the Masters 1000.
‘I don’t realize it [what’s happened]”, so I can’t give words about it,” said Vacherot. “This is just crazy. First of all, just being on the other side of the track [from Novak] was an incredible experience. I think I have so much to learn from this match, from him. Even for myself I have a lot to keep.
“It was an hour and forty minutes of pure joy, even though not many people wanted me to continue. He’s really appreciated here. He’s won four times. I got a bit lost in all his titles when they announced him, but it was a surreal experience. Now I’ll probably just enjoy the win tonight and think about tomorrow’s final.”
It’s also a Cinderella story of a final, as Vacherot’s opponent is not only a fellow underdog, but also his cousin: 54th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech advanced later on Saturday by beating Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
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