Rinderknech topples Medvedev for family final at Shanghai Masters
In a humid semifinal thriller, Arthur Rinderknech outlasted Daniil Medvedev to earn a shot at the title against cousin Valentin Vacherot, capping a day of upsets that transformed the Shanghai draw into a tale of kinship and grit.
Under the sticky night lights of the Qi Zhong Tennis Center on October 11, 2025, the Shanghai Masters delivered a semifinal packed with drama, as Arthur Rinderknech battled back from the brink against Daniil Medvedev. The 30-year-old Frenchman, fresh off a grueling run through the draw, faced the 2019 champion on a hard court where humidity slowed every exchange, turning baseline rallies into endurance tests. What unfolded was a match of shifting tides, blending tactical adjustments with a deeper family motivation that propelled Rinderknech to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 upset, setting up an all-cousin final against Valentin Vacherot.
Mindset pivots amid humid fatigue
Medvedev seized control early, breaking Rinderknech to love at 1-1 in the first set with flat groundstrokes that pierced the heavy air, pinning his opponent deep and forcing errors on inside-out forehands. The conditions hit Rinderknech hard; after playing drier daytime matches in prior rounds, the evening’s moisture made the ball fluff up and travel slower, sapping his ability to close points quickly. Yet as the set ended 4-6, he recalibrated, thinking beyond his own survival to support his cousin, who had stunned Novak Djokovic, the four-time defending champion, earlier that day.
This resolve fueled a second-set surge, where a well-placed drop shot handed him a 2-0 lead, drawing Medvedev forward and disrupting his preferred counterpunching rhythm on the damp surface. Rinderknech dug deep, saving all nine break points over the final two sets, as noted by ATP Stats, by varying his serve placement to keep exchanges alive and wear down the Russian. He later shared how the humidity drained him after the opener, prompting a fight-or-fatigue mindset aimed at tiring Medvedev for Vacherot‘s potential matchup.
“I lost the first set. It was really humid again tonight. I played the last two matches during the day, and even if it’s a bit hotter, it’s a lot drier, and tonight was really humid. The ball was really slow,” Rinderknech said. “I couldn’t finish a point with Daniil and I was pretty much just dead after a set and I was like, you know what, maybe I’m going to lose, but I’m going to fight like crazy, so I’m going to make him tired for tomorrow and at least I’m going to help Val to try to start the match a little bit ahead physically, at least.”
Clutch serves turn the decider
In the third set, at 3-3, Rinderknech faced two break points but unleashed booming serves down the T, the ball skidding low to hold and ignite the crowd’s growing energy. He mixed crosscourt backhands with slice approaches to open the court, forcing Medvedev into longer rallies that tested the Russian’s patience on the slowing hard court. Holding to love at 4-4 positioned him for the break, where a net cord on a down-the-line backhand swung fortune his way, leading to match points.
Medvedev erased the first with a sharp serve-volley, lunging to poach at the net, but a double fault on the second sealed the 6-4 finish, capping Rinderknech’s first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal and his second Tour final since Adelaide in 2022. The ninth Frenchman to reach this stage, he collapsed to the court in elation as Vacherot rushed on for an emotional embrace, their shared history from Texas A&M college courts now colliding in title contention. In the aftermath, an ecstatic Rinderknech scrawled on the camera lens, capturing the surreal moment.
It’s a family showdown
Arthur Rinderknech faces cousin Valentin Vacherot in the 2025 @SH_Masters final!#ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/HwNJF5rb0V— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 11, 2025
Family clash promises baseline drama
This family showdown at the @SH_Masters final, buzzing with #ShanghaiMasters energy and highlighted by pic.twitter.com/HwNJF5rb0V from October 11, 2025, marks the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 title of the season. Rinderknech, up to No. 28 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and eyeing No. 22 with a win Sunday, enters with momentum from his one–two punch adaptations that neutralized Medvedev’s returns. Vacherot’s aggressive style, proven against Djokovic, sets up a matchup where familiarity meets fresh pressure on the medium-paced surface.
The cousins’ path, forged through quarters where belief took root after tough draws, turns this into more than a final—it’s a blend of bloodlines and baseline battles that could redefine their careers. Rinderknech reflected on the improbability, noting how no one in the family could have scripted such a run. As Sunday approaches, their clash promises tactical intrigue, with endurance and angles likely deciding who lifts the trophy in this Hollywood-worthy Shanghai tale.
“In the best dreams, we couldn’t have dreamt about this, so I can’t even say it’s a dream, because I don’t think even one person in our family dreamt about it,” Rinderknech said. “So it wasn’t a dream, it’s just a dream that came out of nowhere. We started believing it, I would say, in the quarters, maybe… Now we are here, we fought through so many matches and somehow we are the [two] guys standing at the end, so it’s just incredible.”
