Qualifier earns 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in final
Becomes lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000
Valentin Vacherot closed out one of the most shocking big tournament runs in the history of professional tennis by becoming the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title as he roared back from a set down to defeat his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and triumph at the Shanghai Masters.
There is little precedent for so many of Vacherot’s achievements over the past two weeks. At No 204, the 26-year-old had only narrowly entered the qualifying draw, where he was the second-lowest ranked direct entrant, due to a number of late injury withdrawals. He is also the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 title in the 35-year history of the format and the first Monegasque player in history to win any ATP title.
“It’s unreal what just happened,” said Vacherot. “I have no idea what is happening. It’s just crazy. I’m just so happy about my performance these past few weeks. I just want to thank everyone who put a brick into my career since the beginning. Sharing this [with Arthur] was really tough, there has to be one loser. But I think there are two winners today, one family that won and I think for the sport of tennis, this story is unreal.”
