Vacherot Sets Up Family Reunion Rematch At Paris Masters

Valentin Vacherot
Valentin Vacherot (photo: Rolex Shanghai Masters)

PARIS/WASHINGTON, October 28, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Monegasque No. 1 Valentin Vacherot mastered No. 14 seed Jiri Lehecka in just 54 minutes – the Czech star’s quickest defeat since joining the ATP Tour – 6-1, 6-3 to start play at the Rolex Paris Masters on Court Central Tuesday. Vacherot’s fairytale month on the ATP Tour – especially at the ATP Masters 1000 level – started with his new-found success in China in early October, and has continued in the City of Lights.

Just two weeks after becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in series history at Shanghai, Vacherot set up a rematch of the Rolex Shanghai Masters final with his cousin, France’s Arthur Rinderknech, in the second round following his victory over Lehecka.

From the start, Vacherot played with a sense of joy and purpose. The 40th-ranked wild card from Monaco grabbed a 4-0, double-break lead against the World No. 18 Lehecka, a recent finalist at Brussels, with his powerful serve and purposeful groundstrokes and never looked back. 

“I’m living a fairytale. It’s the very same thing as Shanghai,” Vacherot said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “That’s why I’m playing so well. I’m enjoying every single second of it. 

“Two weeks ago, nobody could have told me I would be playing in this tournament with my own ranking even though I’m working hard. I’m surfing on the confidence – on the fairytale – and I’m just living the dream. That’s why I’m playing so well.”

By the conclusion of the first-round match, Vacherot had amassed 18 winners – including seven aces – and dropped just seven points on his serve. He faced no break points, broke Lehecka’s serve four times and outpointed him 53-31.

“Being on the center court, and it was actually scheduled, well, it was crazy for me. It was wonderful,” Vacherot said later, during his post-match news conference.

Vacherot improved his record versus Top-20 opponents this season to 4-2, having already beaten Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic in consecutive rounds en route to winning the Shanghai title. Then, after losing to Taylor Fritz in the first round at Basel last week, his confidence in beating higher-ranked opponents was renewed.

“After Shanghai, the fact that I play here, it’s the icing on the cake. After everything everything that happened in Shanghai, thank you for the wild card,” Vacherot said. “Even though I could have registered with my ranking, I’m here as if I were a child and thinking how wonderful it is to be here, so it’s very wonderful.”

Now, the match that everyone has wanted to happen in Paris, the rematch of Vacherot versus Rinderknech, will happen on Wednesday, as the cousins open play on Court Central at 11 a.m.

“I’m just so proud of us,” Vacherot said during his on-court interview. “And how [Arthur] competed yesterday. It was such a tough match against Fabian [Marozsan]. He probably didn’t play the way he wanted but [he won]. 

“I’m excited for the crowd, for the family. Everyone is here. We’re just going to enjoy this match so much once again.”

Norrie seizes his opportunity, upsets top seed Alcaraz

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz began the quest to reach his 10th consecutive ATP Tour final, as he faced Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in his opening round match before a crowd of 17,500 that filled the seats surrounding Court Central Tuesday evening. In his first tournament since winning the Tokyo title, the 22-year-old Spaniard came in leading the ATP Tour in wins (67) and titles (8) in 2025 and riding a 17-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 level after winning crowns in Monte-Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati earlier this season.

Meanwhile, the 31st-ranked Norrie sought the biggest win of career – he had never beaten a No. 1-ranked player, going 0-4 – and to be the first man to defeat Alcaraz before the final of any event since David Goffin of Belgium achieved the feat in the second round at Miami last March. 

Alcaraz looked ripe for defeat – he finished with 54 unforced errors – and Norrie took advantage of it and pulled off a huge upset, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in two hours and 22 minutes. Although he hit just 18 winners to overcome 25 unforced errors, Norrie won 79 percent (41 of 52) of his first-serve points and was broken just once. He outpointed Alcaraz 101-86. The Spanish No. 1 finished with 33 winners but it was not enough to beat Norrie.

At a set each, Norrie pressured Alcaraz throughout the decisive third set, gaining break points in three consecutive service games, before finally breaking the top seed to go ahead 4-3. Then, Norrie consolidated the break during a 10-point eighth game that stretched more than five minutes in length to push ahead 5-3. While Alcaraz held in the ninth game at 15, it meant Norrie would have a chance to serve for the match coming out of the changeover. Alcaraz saved a break point but it wasn’t enough. Norrie won the second-round match on his second opportunity.

How big of a win was it for Norrie?

“Massive. So big for me,” Norrie said during his on-court interview with ATP Media afterwards after improving his win-loss record this season to 29-24. “I’ve been coming back from my injury. Last year, I lost in the first round of qualies here. Just trying to enjoy my tennis the second half of the year. I was able to do that. To get a win like this … this is the biggest win of my career, my first over a World No. 1. … I was so pleased with how I did it.”

Norrie, who had won just four matches in his last seven tournaments, beat Alcaraz for the third time in eight tries and will play either No. 40 Valentin Vacherot of Monaco or No. 29 Arthur Rinderknech of France, both wild cards, who face off in the second round on Wednesday.

Fonseca: From Basel to Paris without missing a beat

Just two days after Joao Fonseca became the first Brazilian ATP 500 champion, after winning the Swiss Indoors at Basel, the 28th-ranked, 19-year-old #NextGen ATP star was back on court for his first-round match against World No. 24 Denis Shapovalov of Canada at the Paris Masters. 

Fonseca brought with him a four-match winning streak from Basel onto Court 1, while Shapovalov had been on a 13-2 run on indoor hard courts over the past year, winning titles in Belgrade last November and Dallas in February – plus a semifinal run in Stockholm earlier this month and making the quarterfinals in Basel last week.

In a rematch of their Swiss quarterfinal, Fonseca came out on the winning end, again, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in two hours and four minutes to advance to a second-round match against No. 10 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia. Fonseca finished with 23 winners to overcome 27 unforced errors and took advantage of 39 unforced errors committed by Shapovalov and four breaks of the Canadian’s serve. He outpointed Shapovalov 99-83 in becoming the first Brazilian to win a Paris Masters match since 2015.

While life may be moving fast for Fonseca, the Rio de Janeiro native is happy to have put up another win in his Paris Masters debut, his 26th victory of the season. “In tennis, you need to change your mindset week after week,” he said. “I won [Basel] two days ago and now I’m here playing Paris in the first round. I’m happy to change the mindset and be ready for this match.

“After I lost the first set, I knew I had to change the little things. I’m happy with how I came through the match mentally. I wasn’t playing my best in the beginning, I felt my hip a bit, but all is good. Nothing we can’t adjust for the next round and we keep going.”

Around La Défense Arena

• Among the seeded winners: World No. 7 and fifth seed Ben Shelton of the United States reached the third round at the Paris Masters for the first time after defeating No. 23 Flavio Cobolli of Italy for the third time in five career meetings. His 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in one hour and 32 minutes on Court 1 including 16 winners to 14 unforced errors and Shelton outscored Cobolli 70-58. It’s Shelton‘s first Top-25 win since Toronto in August.

Next, Shelton will face No. 12 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia, who advanced past No. 39 Learner Tien of the United States, 6-4, 6-4, in a hour and 20 minutes on Court 1 Tuesday evening. Rublev dropped just five points on his first serve, saved eight of nine break points and outpointed Tien 68-60.

No. 9 seed and former Paris semifinalist Felix Auger Aliassime battled from a set down against 68th-ranked qualifier Francisco Comesana of Argentina to win 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3, in two hours and 18 minutes on Court 1. Auger-Aliassime, who entered play trailing Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti by 480 points for the eighth and final spot in the PIF ATP Live Road To Turin, hit 11 aces and 45 winners overall. He outpointed Comesana 100-80. 

Next, Auger-Aliassime, who has compiled a 79-29 win-loss record and won seven titles indoors this decade, will face 44th-ranked Frenchman Alexandre Mueller in the second round on Wednesday.

No. 11 seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, who won the Paris Masters title in 2020, advanced over No. 36 Jaume Munar of Spain, a semifinalist last week in Basel, 6-1, 6-3, in 70 minutes on Court Central. In his first Paris Masters win since 2021, Medvedev faced no break points and converted four of seven break-point chances against the Spaniard. He finished with 25 winners and outpointed Munar 58-40.

On Wednesday, Medvedev will play No. 38 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who advanced Monday night over No. 56 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France.

Just two days after losing to the Basel final, No. 15 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain was back on court in Paris and fought past 59th-ranked lucky loser Valentin Royer of France, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, in one hour and 58 minutes. Davidovich Fokina hit 26 winners and outpointed Royer 87-74.

Next, Davidovich Fokina will play 62nd-ranked French wild card Arthur Cazaux in the second round on Wednesday.

• Other Tuesday winners: No. 42 Gabriel Diallo of Canada hit 11 aces and won 79 percent of his service points to upset No. 25 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4. In an all-Argentine battle, No. 49 Camilo Ugo Carabelli defeated 58th-ranked qualifier Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 7-5, 6-3. No. 32 Corentin Moutet of France withstood 11 aces to beat 52nd-ranked lucky loser Reilly Opelka of the United States, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. It was Moutet’s first main-draw win in Paris in three years.

• France’s Nicolas Mahut lost the final match of his storied doubles career at the Paris Masters Tuesday evening. The 43-year-old Mahut, a winner of the 2019 Paris doubles title, made his 19th and final appearance by pairing with Grigor Dimitrov. It came 25 years after Mahut debuted as a doubles wild card at the 2000 Paris event with Arnaud Clement.

Mahut and Dimitrov, who received a wild card into the doubles draw, lost to Hugo Nys of Monaco and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, 6-4, 5-7, 10-4.

In his doubles career, Mahut won 37 tour-level titles, all four Grand Slam tournaments – five majors overall – and peaked at World No. 1 in 2016, teamed with Pierre-Hugues Herbert. He also garnered seven ATP Masters 1000 titles and two Nitto ATP Finals crowns.

Tuesday’s Rolex Paris Masters results

Wednesday’s Rolex Paris Masters order of play

By the numbers

On his 28th birthday, World No. 4 Taylor Fritz of the United States brought a 3-0 career head-to-head into his Tuesday evening match with 103rd-ranked Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic on Court Central. By the end of the 95-minute tussle, the American No. 1 made it 4-0 with his 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Vukic.

Fritz reached the round of 16 at his fifth of six ATP Masters 1000 events on hard courts this season. His only blemish was a third-round loss at Shanghai to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Against Vukic, Fritz struck 28 winners – including 12 aces – and won 78 percent (32 of 41) of his first-serve points. He saved all three break points he faced and broke Vukic twice. He outpointed his opponent 79-62. Next, Fritz will face either No. 13 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan or No. 32 Corentin Moutet of France, who play Wednesday.

“Quotable …”

“It was never easy. I knew that coming to competition is just going to be a difficult task. I just wanted to come out and test myself, give myself a chance. I think winning or losing tonight, I still would have felt like I’ve given all I had. Of course, it’s very difficult to adjust, especially playing against a player like him. You have to be aware throughout the whole time and stay focused.

“It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. There’s always that added stress, especially after so many months away. But listen, it’s a good night. I’m taking it in and just going one day at a time at the moment.”

– Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, during his on-court interview Monday evening, after defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to advance to the second round.

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