Vacherot hangs on by two points in Shanghai qualifying scare
A razor-thin escape in the second round of qualifying nearly derailed Valentin Vacherot’s historic charge to the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 title, as he outlasted college rival Liam Draxl in a match decided by the slimmest of margins.
In the sticky October heat of 2025, Valentin Vacherot faced a do-or-die moment in the Shanghai Masters qualifying, where two points stood between him and an early flight home. The 26-year-old Monegasque, starting the year at No. 204 in the PIF ATP Rankings, had already navigated a string of last-minute withdrawals just to enter the draw, his underdog spirit fueling a campaign that would culminate in the lowest-ranked championship in ATP Masters 1000 history. Against Liam Draxl in the second round, the pressure mounted in a grueling two-hour-and-48-minute clash on the medium-paced hard courts, where every rally carried the weight of potential breakthrough or bust.
Teetering on the tiebreak brink
The decider stretched into a nerve-shredding tiebreak, with Draxl serving at 5-all and volleying forward to cut off angles, the crowd’s murmurs rising as the Canadian edged toward victory. Vacherot fired back with a first-serve return winner, slicing it crosscourt with sharp underspin that forced an error, then countered a serve-volley with his own angled crosscourt winner that hugged the line. He sealed the breaker on a big serve, the ball’s heavy topspin gripping the surface for a clean ace, saving his tournament dreams in a sequence that blended raw power with precise redirection.
Draxl later recounted the intensity, his voice carrying the respect of a peer who had pushed the limit. The match’s closeness—only five points separating the two—underscored how Vacherot‘s adjustments from flat college baselines to pro-level variation kept him alive, turning defensive scrambles into offensive surges on Shanghai‘s consistent bounce.
“I was pretty close to getting him on the brink there. It was five-all in the tie-break and he actually hit a first-serve return winner,” Draxl said. “I served and volleyed and he hit just a cross-court angle winner. Then he hit a big serve and got the breaker.”
Break point drama tests resolve
Momentum seesawed into the third set, where Draxl carved out a break point at 4-3 with a probing one–two punch, his deep crosscourt forehand pinning Vacherot deep and inviting a weak lob that floated invitingly. The Monegasque unleashed a 225 km/h serve out wide to the forehand, the skid off the hard court making it unreturnable and flipping the script in an instant. He saved two of four break points overall, each escape a mental anchor amid the fatigue of cross-time-zone travel and the solo grind of qualifiers.
This resilience echoed Vacherot’s broader arc, where early-season inconsistencies had built a fire for redemption, his forehand inside-out shots landing with increasing venom as the match wore on. The sparse qualifying crowd, a blend of locals and traveling fans, fed off the tension, their cheers punctuating the shift as he clawed into the main draw, his slice backhand now a weapon to disrupt aggressive returns.
“I actually had break point in the third too, at 4-3, and he hit a huge serve, like 225 kilometres an hour out wide. So that was tough on my end too, but I knew it was a really high-level match.”
College roots inspire tour ascent
Beneath the tactics lay a foundation from their Southeastern Conference days, Vacherot at Texas A&M and Draxl at Kentucky trading brutal rallies against the likes of Ben Shelton and Adam Walton in packed arenas that mirrored the pro tour’s intensity. Those battles honed their ability to vary pace on variable hard courts, a skill that surfaced here as Vacherot mixed topspin drives with underspin passes to neutralize Draxl’s flat power. Post-match, the Canadian’s admiration flowed freely, rooted in shared history rather than what-ifs, highlighting how such rivalries forge the mental edge for underdog surges.
Draxl, now No. 118, saw unlimited potential in his opponent’s survival, a high-level duel that predicted deeper main-draw runs and fueled his own ambitions. Vacherot’s composure transformed qualifying jitters into poised aggression, his inside-in forehands catching foes off-guard on the fast Shanghai decks, propelling a legacy run that rippled through the rankings.
“I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, he probably could win some rounds in the main draw’,” Draxl reflected. “I thought it was just a super high-level match out there. But for him to win it, it’s unbelievable. Literally unbelievable.”
The Canadian capped his thoughts with genuine warmth for a peer’s trajectory, celebrating the SEC’s pro pipeline. “Crazy run for Val,” he said, while expressing joy at college standouts thriving, battles with the likes of Shelton sharpening them for top-100 breakthroughs. “it’s great to see college tennis people doing well and particularly the SEC doing well. It was always such tough competition within our conference over the college years,” Draxl added, his words a nod to how those formative clashes inspire ongoing climbs, with Vacherot’s escape now a beacon for others chasing similar glory on the ATP trail.
