Vacherot Wins Historic Family Showdown Final In Shanghai

Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot, Rolex Shanghai Masters
Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot (photo: Rolex Shanghai Masters)

SHANGHAI/WASHINGTON, October 12, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

The incredible and historic family showdown between qualifier Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech, first cousins and former college teammates at Texas A&M University, who faced off in the unlikeliest final of them all at the Rolex Shanghai Masters Sunday, was won by the Monegasque Vacherot. They may have been rivals and competitors on the tennis court, but deep down they were always family first.

Vacherot, the last man standing in Shanghai, became the eighth first-time ATP Tour champion of the 2025 season and just the fifth man to win his first title at an ATP Masters 1000 event in series history after defeating Rinderknech, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in an emotionally-charged two hours and 14 minutes.

At last, the two-week fairytale had come true for the 204th-ranked Vacherot, who became the lowest-ranked winner of an ATP Masters 1000 title in series history. In six of the nine matches he played, from qualifying through the title final, Vacherot came from behind to win. He was nothing if not resilient during the Shanghai fortnight. Now, Vacherot is much richer and wiser for the experience.

Upon securing match point, Vacherot unleashed his emotions. He covered his face with his hands and, undoubtedly, cried happy tears after securing the biggest prize of his tennis life – an ATP Masters 1000 title, 1,000 ATP points and first-prize money of $1,124,380 (U.S. Dollars). A long and rewarding embrace with Rinderknech awaited him next at the net. After all, they were cousins who made history together.

In the most memorable week of their lives, the 26-year-old Vacherot and Rinderknech, 30, both spent 11 hours and 12 minutes each on court en route to Sunday’s final, culminating in wins over a pair former Shanghai champions. Vacherot defeated four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic, while the 54th-ranked Rinderknech ousted 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev to set up just the third all-unseeded ATP Masters 1000 title match. Each had secured for themselves a new career-high ranking for their efforts – and for Vacherot, his earnings guarantee for reaching the Shanghai final exceeded his career earnings to date.

“It’s unreal what just happened,” the soft-spoken Vacherot said during an on-court interview with ATP Media prior to the trophy ceremony. “I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy.

“I am just so happy with my performances the past two weeks. I just want to thank everyone who has helped with my career since the beginning. There has to be one loser but I think there is two winners today. One family that won and I think for the sport of tennis, the story is unreal.”

Both players advanced to their first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, semifinal and final in Shanghai this week, and as they walked out on Stadium Court at Qi Zhong Tennis Center to polite cheers and applause, each was attempting to win their first ATP Tour title. Among the notables in attendance were: Roger Federer, who won the Shanghai title twice (2014, 2017); David Massey, the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director; and Melanie-Antoinette de Massy, president of the Monegasque Tennis Federation.

As it happened, Rinderknech won the 41-minute opening set 6-4 with a flourish, hitting his third ace and 14th winner overall. He won 20 of his 25 service points and avoided facing any break points, while breaking his cousin’s serve in the third game by taking advantage of a quartet of unforced errors. It proved the difference as only five points separated the two family members.

Then, on serve at 4-3 in the second set, Rinderknech delivered a 219 km/ph ace – his sixth of the final – to save a break point and gain deuce during the five-plus-minute eighth game. However, on the second break point, Vacherot delivered a beauty of a backhand to break his cousin and go ahead 5-3 after winning the 10-point tussle. Soon, Vacherot gained a set point after winning a 16-shot rally, then won the set 6-3 after Rinderknech netted a forehand drop shot. It was the Frenchman’s 10th unforced error of the set.

As the final reached the 80-minute mark, it became a one-set shootout between Vacherot and Rinderknech – and Vacherot had already proven a thing or two about winning from a set down in Shanghai.

Soon, the Monegasque upstart gained an early break lead in the third set after he hit a backhand cross-court winner from near the baseline to go ahead 1-0. Vacherot consolidated the break with a 220 k/ph fourth ace to gain a 2-0 advantage as the momentum had swung in his favor. Then, he gained three break points in Rinderknech’s next service game at love-40 but was unable to converted any of them as the Frenchman bailed himself out of trouble with his eighth service ace and avoided going down a double break. In an emotional outpouring, Rinderknech held his serve and pumped his right fist into the air. 

Next, after Vacherot countered with his fifth love hold for a 3-1 lead, Rinderknech dug himself out of trouble, again, by saving three more break points. Then, he saved a fourth one during the 10-plus-minute fifth game with his ninth ace and went on to hold serve in the 14-point marathon with an overhead winner. Vacherot countered with another love-hold that was punctuated by his seventh ace on game point to take a 4-2 lead as the final eclipsed the two-hour mark. Soon, after a pair of holds, it was 5-3 in favor of Vacherot as the finish line began to take focus.

Finally, after two hours and 13 minutes, Vacherot had gained his first championship point at 15-40. While he may have been a bit anxious in hitting a forehand wide that gave Rinderknech a brief respite, Vacherot made good on his second championship point. He ripped an incredible, fourth-shot forehand winner that zoomed past his cousin for game, set, match, championship.

At last, the championship prize was his to enjoy. Following a warm embrace at the net with Rinderknech, Vacherot sprinted to his player’s box to share hugs with his coach, half-brother Benjamin Balleret; his fitness coach, Julien Wahl; and his girlfriend, Emily Snyder, whom he first met while studying for his business degree at Texas A&M, before returning to the court.

“I feel when I am down, I have no choice and need to bring my A-game,” Vacherot said. “In the first set I didn’t do that and he was playing better than me. I took my first chance to break in the second set and from that the crowd got more involved and we put on more of a show in the second part of the match.”

By the end, Vacherot finished the title match with 29 winners to 19 unforced errors. He hit eight aces, won 78 percent (38 of 49) of his first-serve points and back it by winning 74 percent (17 of 23) second-serve points. Vacherot converted three of 14 breaks points and outpointed his opponent 87-74. By comparison, Rinderknech struck 38 winners – including 11 aces – and made 26 unforced errors. He won 68 percent (43 of 63) of his first serve points and converted his only break point.

As a result of winning the Shanghai title, Vacherot’s ranking will skyrocket 164 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He will officially crack the Top 100 and Top 50 for the first time in his career on Monday. Meanwhile, Rinderknech will rise 26 places to No. 28 in the new rankings, after achieving his 100th tour-level win in the semifinals to become the ninth French ATP Masters 1000 finalist.

“I was just trying to beat the guy on the other side of the net,” Vacherot said, describing what it was like to play against a member of his own family in Rinderknech. “Try to put on the side that it is my cousin and the guy I have been training with and growing up with. It was very tough and he did a better job than me in the first set, coping with the pressure. But I just found a way to turn it around.”

Never in his wildest dreams.

Krawietz and Puetz crowned Shanghai doubles champions

No. 3 seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz of Germany won their second ATP Tour title of the season and first at Masters 1000 level with their 6-4, 6-4 victory over unseeded Andre Goransson of Sweden and Alex Michelsen of the United States in one hour and 23 minutes on Stadium Court.

In becoming just the second German pair to win an ATP Masters 1000 title in series history following Boris Becker and Michael Stich in 1992 at Monte-Carlo, the sixth-ranked Krawietz and Puetz improved to 39-15 this season. 

The defending Nitto ATP Finals champions dropped just one set this week en route to winning the Shanghai title. Against Goransson and Michelsen, who teamed for the first time in Shanghai, Krawietz and Puetz combined to win 87 percent (27 of 31) of their first-serve points, hit two aces, converted three of eight break-point chances and outpointed their opponents 62-48.

Krawietz, 33, improved to 13-11 in tour-level doubles finals, while Puetz, 37, is 12-12.

“Luckily, we play only doubles, so the heat is not too big a problem,” Puetz said during his team’s news conference afterward. “Really happy with our tennis the whole time that we were here. Also happy to tough out the difficult moments. There were some in every match. You never walk through a tournament like that. We did the same today. Really proud of our maturity there.”

Krawietz added:  “Yeah, I feel pretty good. We got to the semifinals, and then after semifinal I was of course happy to be in the final. Of course, you want to win the final. Here and there some tight moments, of course, so I had to figure out how to handle it.

“But, yeah, in the end it went the right way, so very happy, very proud. And, yeah, let’s enjoy the moment now.”

By the numbers

Valentin Vacherot is the eighth first-time ATP Tour champion of 2025 and the fifth man to win his first title at an ATP Masters 1000 event in series history. The other first-time ATP Tour champions this season include: Alexandre Muller (Hong Kong), Joao Fonseca (Buenos Aires), Tomas Machac (Acapulco), Jakub Mensik (Miami), Flavio Cobolli (Bucharest), Jenson Brooksby (Houston) and Gabriel Diallo (‘s-Hertogenbosch).

“Quotable …”

“It was amazing to play on this center court. The conditions were perfect. It’s one of the nicest center courts in the world. I enjoyed it so much, I enjoyed the battle. I gave everything I had in every match. It was hot, it was humid, I sweated everything I had. Today, it wasn’t enough to get the win, but I gave it my all – and that’s all that matters. I really enjoyed my time on the court.”

– Arthur Rinderknech of France, during his trophy ceremony remarks after the conclusion of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

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