(Video) Emotional Arthur Rinderknech Brings Cousin Valentin Vacherot to Tears After Shanghai Masters Final Clash

The Arthur Rinderknech versus Valentin Vacherot match has become only the third all-unseeded final in the history of a Masters 1000 event.

(Video) Emotional Arthur Rinderknech Brings Cousin Valentin Vacherot to Tears After Shanghai Masters Final Clash

Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech cried after the Shanghai Masters final (Image via X/OptaJean, The Tennis Letter)

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Valentin Vacherot scripted history on Sunday (October 12). He came from a set down to beat Arthur Rinderknech, who is also his cousin, with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 scoreline.

Following the match, Vacherot wrote, “Grandpa and grandma would be proud” on the camera. When he reached the final by knocking out the tournament’s most successful player, Novak Djokovic, in the semifinal, it made him the lowest-ranked player (No.204) to reach a championship clash of a Masters 1000 tournament (since 1990).

This also made him the first Monegasque to win a Masters 1000 title. It was his career’s first tour-level title, and en route to the victory, Vacherot came as an alternate in Shanghai before playing the qualifying round.

He knocked out five seeded players before clinching the trophy, starting with Alexander Bublik in the second round. Tomas Machac, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and Djokovic were the next opponents.

During the trophy presentation, when it was Rinderknech’s turn to speak, he addressed the crowd first before thanking the tournament organizers. Then, in French, he congratulated his cousin through tears, while the latter, too, got emotional.

To Valentin, who I love. Two cousins who gave everything, I’m so happy for you. I hope we’re going to have more. This was a great week; we’ll spend the rest of our lives talking about this week.

Prior to this event, Rinderknech had never progressed beyond the third round of a Masters 1000 event. This year, he reached the third round of the Cincinnati Masters, where he gave the walkover to Felix Auger-Aliassime after collapsing due to extreme heat. His best performance in a tour-level tournament was a final run at the 2022 Adelaide International. In Shanghai, before this year, his best performance was a second-round appearance last year.

It’s just all crying. It’s unreal what just happened. I have no idea what’s happening right now. I’m not in a dream. It’s just crazy. I’m so happy about my performance these past two weeks. I wanna thank everyone who has helped with my career since the beginning. There has to be one loser but I think there’s two winners today, one family that won. And I think for the sport of tennis, the story is unreal.

Valentin Rinderknech said

Vacherot entered the Shanghai Masters with just one match win on the ATP Tour. That win he clinched at the Monte Carlo Masters this year by beating Jan-Lennard Struff before losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the following round.

Valentin Vacherot will achieve a career-best ranking after the Shanghai Masters win

Valentin Vacherot has become the eighth player this season to clinch his career’s first singles title, as well as the fifth man in ATP Masters 1000 history to clinch his maiden tour-level singles title in this category. The 26-year-old has moved 164 places up and is occupying the No.40 spot in the live rankings.

Valentin Vacherot
Vacherot Valentin (Image via X/TNT Sports)

I feel when I am down, I have no choice and need to bring my A-game. 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.

Valentin Vacherot said during the trophy presentation

Arthur Rinderknech, on the other hand, climbed 26 places up in the live rankings, and on Monday, he will be a career-high World No.28 player. After knocking out Daniil Medvedev, the 30-year-old has become the ninth French player to reach a Masters 1000 final. It was their first head-to-head meeting on the ATP Tour.

Vacherot will take home the biggest prize money of his career- $1,124,380. Before this fortnight, Vacherot had pocketed a total of $594,380 in his career.

Also read: Joao Fonseca Opens Up on the State of His Relationship With Carlos Alcaraz on Tour