Valentin Vacherot was on the verge of tears on Tuesday when he advanced to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final at theRolex Shanghai Masters.
The first Monegasque player to reach a tour-level quarter-final in history, the qualifier Vacherot oustedTallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 after a topsy-turvy, two-hour, 22-minute battle that ended 10 minutes shy of 1 a.m.
“It means everything,” said Vacherot in disbelief. “I don’t think I could really realise what I was doing this whole week and it kind of all hit me when I just won this match. I was just happy this whole week, but not through the roof and this one is unbelievable.
“So much emotion just thinking of the tough times I had last year, even this year. Just to share that with my coach, brother, my girlfriend — it’s unbelievable and I’m having one of the best times in my life right now.”
Vacherot entered the week at World No. 204, with just one career win at an ATP Tour event, having reached the second round of his home tournament, this year'sRolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Thanks to his Shanghai run, Vacherot has skyrocketed to No. 130 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The 26-year-old, who hammered 40 winners against Griekspoor, is the lowest-ranked quarter-finalist in Shanghai history.
“This is 100 per cent the reward, being on the bench six months last year [due to injury],” said Vacherot, who has ousted three seeded players consecutively: 14th seedAlexander Bublik, 20th seedTomas Machac and 27th seed Griekspoor.
“Thankfully, I was able to play free since January. That was unbelievable. I had a nasty fall atWimbledon in the [qualifying] first round, I was a few points from victory. I’m not going to lie, I thought I was going to be out a couple of months again. It was just a few weeks. Now this is the reward for everything I went through.”
Vacherot will next meet 10th seedHolger Rune. When asked about his upcoming match, Vacherot said: “I don’t even know who I’m playing, I don’t look at the draw.”
Vacherot's cousin,Arthur Rinderknech, is also still alive in the tournament. The Frenchman, who upsetAlexander Zverev on Monday, will next face 15th seedJiri Lehecka on Wednesday. Vacherot and Rinderknech both attended Texas A&M University, where they shared two seasons together (2016, 2017).
Since 2022, Vacherot’s half-brother,Benjamin Balleret, has been his full-time coach.
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