Vacherot completes Shanghai fairytale, defeats cousin Rinderknech for maiden title

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2025

Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech’s remarkable respective runs at the Rolex Shanghai Masters came to a fairytale close on Sunday, when Vacherot rallied to defeat his cousin and former college teammate 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and capture his maiden tour-level title. In doing so, the Monegasque World No. 204 became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990).

“It is unreal what just happened. I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy,” Vacherot said. “I am just so happy with my performances the past two weeks. I just want to thank everyone who has helped with my career since the beginning. There has to be one loser but I think there is two winners today. One family that won and I think for the sport of tennis, the story is unreal.”

Competing in front of a packed Stadium Court at one of the biggest events on the ATP Tour, the setting for the final could not have been further removed from the pair’s Texas A&M University days, where they played side by side in 2018.

Fast forward seven years and their paths have diverged. Rinderknech arrived in Shanghai with a career-high of No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings, with his best result a final run at the ATP 250 in Adelaide in 2022. He had never progressed beyond the third round at a Masters 1000 event until this week.

Vacherot’s rise, however, proved even more improbable. The 26-year-old entered the tournament with just one tour-level win to his name, earned earlier this year in Monte-Carlo. He became the lowest-ranked finalist in Masters 1000 history (since 1990), and over the course of two unforgettable weeks, rewrote the trajectory of his career.

After battling through qualifying, the 26-year-old notched wins against Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor to become the first player representing Monaco to 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 final, Vacherot once again showcased his resilience. He rallied from a set down for the sixth time this tournament, including qualifying, to become the first player representing Monaco to win a tour-level title in the Open Era. He is also just the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 crown, joining Roberto Carretero (Hamburg 1996) and Albert Portas (Hamburg 2001).

“I feel when I am down, I have no choice and need to bring my A-game,” Vacherot said on his impressive record of coming from behind. “In the first set I didn’t do that and he was playing better than me. I took my first chance to break in the second set and from that the crowd got more involved and we put on more of a show in the second part of the match.”

The Monegasque is the eighth first-time champion on Tour this season and just the fifth man in ATP Masters 1000 history to claim his maiden tour-level title at this level, following Jakub Mensik, who achieved the feat earlier this year in Miami.

Vacherot leaves Shanghai up 164 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to crack the Top 100 and Top 50 for the first time on Monday. He also takes $1,124,380 in prize money with him, having earned $594,077 for his whole career before this fortnight.

“I was just trying to beat the guy on the other side of the net,” Vacherot said on the dynamics of facing Rinderknech. “Try to put on the side that it is my cousin and the guy I have been training with and growing up with. It was very tough and he did a better job than me in the first set, coping with the pressure. But I just found a way to turn it around.”

It All Adds Up

Throughout the fortnight, Rinderknech and Vacherot supported each other from the sidelines, cheering one another on and sharing words of encouragement both in person and through their family group chat.

Vacherot had a front-row seat for Rinderknech’s standout run, which included wins against Top 20 opponents Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev. On Sunday, he experienced first-hand just how tough his cousin can be to beat.

Rinderknech struck 12 winners and committed just two unforced errors in an impressive opening-set display, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 30-year-old took the ball early to rush Vacherot and gained 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, gaining the first strike in the exchanges to dictate the tempo. From 3-3 in the second set, Vacherot broke Rinderknech in consecutive games to lead by a break in the third set. From there, he continued to play aggressively, taking large cuts at the ball to dominate. He won 92 per cent of his first-serve points in the decider and hit just one unforced error in the third set to capture the biggest win of his life after two hours and 11 minutes.

Rinderknech is 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 series history.

Did You Know?

Rinderknech’s meeting with Vacherot was just the third all-unseeded Masters 1000 final in series history.

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