Vacherot seals Shanghai triumph over cousin Rinderknech

In the sweltering close of the Shanghai Masters, Valentin Vacherot scripted the perfect ending to his underdog odyssey, edging out his cousin and former college partner Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 for his first ATP title. The 26-year-old from Monaco, seeded at World No. 204, became the lowest-ranked champion in Masters 1000 history since 1990, a feat that resonated through the humid air of the packed venue. This victory capped a fortnight where resilience trumped ranking, transforming a qualifier’s grind into glory under the bright lights.

Paths diverge from shared college roots

Seven years after teaming up on the courts at Texas A&M University in 2018, the cousins faced off in a setting worlds apart from those collegiate days. Rinderknech entered the Shanghai Masters at a career-high No. 42, his best prior result a final at the ATP 250 in Adelaide back in 2022, though he had never pushed beyond the third round at this level until now. Vacherot’s journey felt far riskier, arriving with only one tour-level win from earlier in the year at Monte-Carlo, his low seeding marking him as the least-ranked finalist in Masters 1000 annals since 1990.

Through qualifying and main draw, Vacherot built momentum with straight-set upsets over Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor, becoming the first from Monaco to reach a Masters 1000 quarterfinal. He followed with shocks against Holger Rune and four-time champion Novak Djokovic, rallying from a set down for the sixth time in the event, including qualifiers. Their support from the stands and family chats added warmth to the competition, as Rinderknech notched his own breakthroughs by defeating Top 20 players like Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev.

Rinderknech surges early, Vacherot fights back

The final opened with Rinderknech imposing his will, firing 12 winners to just two unforced errors in a dominant first set, as ATP Stats detail. The 30-year-old broke in the third game by taking returns early, rushing Vacherot with flat groundstrokes that skimmed low on the hard court and forcing hurried inside-in replies. In their debut ATP head-to-head, this aggressive tempo suited the surface’s pace, pinning the younger player deep and echoing the elder’s upsets earlier in the week.

Vacherot steadied in the second set, using deeper topspin to push Rinderknech back and seize control of rallies from the baseline. At 3-3, he broke twice in a row—first with a sharp crosscourt backhand, then consolidating via inside-out forehands that opened the court wide—carrying that edge into the third. Over two hours and 11 minutes, his bold cuts at the ball turned defense into dominance, neutralizing the early pressure with down-the-line redirects that sealed the match.

Historic rise reshapes careers

As the eighth first-time winner on tour in 2025 and the fifth to claim a maiden title at Masters 1000 level—trailing only Jakub Mensik‘s Miami feat earlier this year—Vacherot joined an elite club of qualifiers, following Roberto Carretero in Hamburg 1996 and Albert Portas in 2001. He stands as the first from Monaco to lift a tour trophy in the Open Era, this all-unseeded final the third in series history. The win propels him 164 places to No. 40 in live rankings, entering the Top 100 on Monday with $1,124,380 in prize money, eclipsing his previous career haul of $594,077.

Rinderknech climbs 26 spots to a career-high No. 28, marking his 100th tour-level victory from the semifinals and positioning him as the ninth French finalist at this event. Their mutual encouragement underscored the personal stakes, turning a family rivalry into a shared milestone amid the tour’s grind. With this breakthrough, Vacherot eyes deeper runs on fast hard courts, his newfound confidence a beacon for the season’s endgame.