The Monegasque’s tale continues: the world no.204 also beat the no.5, 6-3 6-4. He is the lowest-ranked tennis player in history to reach the final of a Masters 1000
Not even Novak Djokovic, the destroyer of other people’s fairy tales par excellence, managed to break Valentin Vacherot’s dream. The Monegasque, number 204 in the world, is incredibly in the final of the Master 1000 in Shanghai. A result (6-3 6-4 the score in one hour and 42 minutes) that goes beyond all imagination but also helped by the physical condition of the former world number one, 38 years old, gasping for air from the first set and in obvious physical difficulty. However, the same thing had happened two days ago, against Bergs, and the Belgian had trembled against Djokovic. Vacherot no, he didn’t. The Monegasque went on to serve for the match at 5-4 in the second set, he also saved a break point which would have extended the match and then he closed the practice, shocked by what was happening too. Honor to this player, therefore, who will certainly be fresher than the others and with much, much less pressure on him, but to reach the final in a tennis tournament of this level you must certainly know how to play. We’ll see if Vachert, 26 years old, will be a flash in the pan or not, but in the meantime the Monegasque becomes the finalist in a 1000 with the lowest ranking in history, surpassing the record of Andrei Pavel, who in 2003 had reached the bottom of Bercy from 191 in the world.
tennis fairy tales
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Borna Coric, in 2022, won Cincinnati as number 152, but the Croatian was so low in the rankings due to his many injuries. Of course, the almost prohibitive conditions of Shanghai favored the feat, but it is not uncommon to see this kind of surprises in a 1000, especially those immediately after a slam. In China, however, the feeling is that we have gone too far, and that something will probably change in the future. Therefore, no final for Djokovic and no title 101 for the Serbian, who really no longer had any. The decisive break, the one at 4-4 in the second set, was given by Nole with three double faults in one game: something out of this world for someone like him. Now Vacherot awaits the winner between Daniil Medvedev and his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final, for a family clash that would be sensational.