In one of the most fascinating – and unlikely – stories in tennis history, 204th-ranked Valentin Vacherot in Monaco, who advanced through the qualifying rounds to the main draw, won the ATP Masters 1000 level title at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, beating none other than his cousin Arthur Rinderknech of France, ranked 54, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
The match marked the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 final in history and Vacherot becomes the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title and the first player from Monaco to win an ATP singles title. Despite the unusual ranking, the match produced high quality tennis and dramatic momentum shifts as Vacherot fought back after dropping the first set.
“I feel like when I’m down, I have no choice but to bring my best game,” Vacherot said, reflecting on his track record of rallying 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 then on the crowd got more involved and we put on a better show in the second part of the match.”
“I was just trying to beat the guy on the other side of the net,” he added, describing the challenge he faces against Rinderknech.
The two players are cousins, connected through their mother, and grew up playing tennis together in the south of France. After sealing the victory, Vacherot wrote on the camera lens: “Grandma and Grandpa would be proud.”
“I tried to put aside the fact that he is 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.”
“It’s surreal what just happened. I have no idea what’s going on right now. I’m not even dreaming; it’s just crazy. I’m so happy with my performance over the last two weeks. I want to thank everyone who helped with my career from the beginning. There has to be one loser, but I think there are two winners today: one family that won, and for the sport of tennis this story is surreal,” Vacherot said.
To reach the final, Vacherot defeated 24-time major singles champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, while Rinderknech defeated 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
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