Victory in the family duel
Outsider makes tennis fairy tales perfect
October 12, 2025 – 2:24 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In an internal family final, Valentin Vacherot secured the master title in Shanghai. This makes a real tennis fairy tale perfect.
What began as an underdog story ended in an emotional triumph: Valentin Vacherot won the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai – causing one of the biggest surprises of the tennis season. The Monegasse prevailed in the final against his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4:6, 6:3, 6:3 and celebrated the greatest success of his career to date.
Vacherot started the tournament as number 204 in the world rankings and initially fought his way through qualification into the main draw. On the way to the title, he defeated, among others, Novak Djoković – a victory that enabled him to reach the final of a Masters tournament as the lowest-ranked player to date. Thanks to his success, the 26-year-old is now in the top 50 of the world rankings for the first time and can look forward to prize money of almost one million euros. He had previously earned around 500,000 euros in his entire career.
The award ceremony was a moving moment: both finalists could hardly hold back their tears and had to interrupt their speeches several times. Valentin Vacherot said: “Today there are two winners and a family that won. It’s not real. I have no idea what’s happening here. It’s like a dream.”
Arthur Rinderknech, who eliminated Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, had to watch the end of the ceremony sitting. He struggled with cramps and at times could no longer stand. Helpers rushed to the scene, tended to him and took him to a chair from which he watched his final moments. Both cousins had previously spent a lot of time together – they regularly train together and often spend holidays together. Rinderknech said with regard to the family’s reactions: “Our family’s WhatsApp group is on fire right now. That’s because everyone is experiencing our little dream.”
There was also reason to be happy for the German doubles Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz. The duo won their first Masters title together in Shanghai. In the final they won 6:4, 6:4 against Alex Michelsen (USA) and Andre Goransson (Sweden).