World No. 204 in shock after ‘crazy’ Shanghai triumph

Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot hits a return to France’s Arthur Rinderknech during the singles final at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. AFP

World number 204 Valentin Vacherot said he was in shock Sunday after beating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Shanghai Masters, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP 1000 tournament.

The unlikely all-family final between the 54th-ranked Frenchman Rinderknech and Vacherot, from Monaco, was described by the latter’s coach and half-brother Benjamin Balleret as a “fairytale”.

It was just the third ATP Masters 1000 final in history to feature two unseeded players.

“I don’t even understand why I’m sitting here right now,” the 26-year-old Vacherot said at the winner’s press conference.

“It’s crazy. I think I’m going to start realising in the next few days, but right now, I just want to enjoy the moment.”

Vacherot landed in Shanghai on a “little bit of a gamble”.

He was on the alternate list for the tournament – meaning he wasn’t even certain to take part – and found out just over a day before the qualifying rounds that he would play.

The performance that followed will propel the Monegasque from 204 to 40 in the rankings, according to the ATP website.

“The challenges were just everywhere,” he said, and his current situation was “surreal”.

On their way to the final, Rinderknech took out world number three Alexander Zverev and former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.

Vacherot ended 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic’s chances of a fifth Shanghai title in the semi-finals as well as defeating world number 11 Holger Rune.

Vacherot admitted having to face his cousin in the final was “not easy… to deal with”.

Coach Balleret said that in the second half of the match “the magic” happened. “(I’ve seen him before) in this state of mind, of physical beast,” he said of Vacherot. “But to do it on the centre court of Shanghai in the final against his cousin, it’s another thing.” Rinderknech said after his semi-final that there would be “two winners” on Sunday whatever happened. The two sat side-by-side, Rinderknech’s arm around Vacherot’s shoulder, as they waited for the trophy ceremony to begin – and were in tears during it.