Follow usValentin Vacherot has written one of the most remarkable stories in recent tennis history. The 26-year-old from Monaco, who had never won a Grand Slam match or even cracked the world’s top 100, is now a Masters 1000 champion after stunning his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters final.
Just a few weeks earlier, on September 16, Vacherot was ranked outside the top 200 and had lost to world No. 317 Robin Bertrand in the St. Tropez Challenger. Fast forward to Shanghai, and the world No. 204 embarked on a sensational nine-match winning streak from the start of qualifying, going on to lift the biggest title of his career.
What made his run even crazier was his resilience — six of those nine victories came in three-set battles where he dropped the opening set. Along the way, Vacherot defeated several big names including Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and even former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic before sealing the fairytale finish against Rinderknech.
The moment Valentin Vacherot became the 1st man from Monaco to win a Masters singles title
From alternate to qualifier to beating Bublik, Rune, & Djokovic… to hugging his own cousin at the very end
One of the best sports stories you’ll ever hear
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— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 12, 2025
His triumph comes with multiple historic milestones: Vacherot is now the lowest-ranked player ever (No. 204) to win a Masters 1000 title, the first player from Monaco to win an ATP title, and his match against Rinderknech marked only the third Masters 1000 final in history to feature two unseeded players.
The victory propels him to world No. 40, marking a skyrocketing rise of over 160 ranking spots. Financially, too, it’s been a breakthrough — the $1,124,380 prize from Shanghai nearly doubles his previous career earnings of $594,077.
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