Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot will face his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the Shanghai Masters final after both players produced stunning semi-final victories on Saturday.
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Vacherot, ranked 204th in the world, defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 finalist in history, while unseeded Frenchman Rinderknech came from a set down to beat 2019 Shanghai winner Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 2-6, 4-6.
The 26-year-old Vacherot secured his place in the final after defeating a visibly struggling Djokovic, who received medical treatment on several occasions during the match. Injury has plagued the 38-year-old Serbian throughout the tournament, and he vomited during previous matches after struggling with the heat and humidity.
Vacherot, who has now climbed 146 spots to world number 58 in the live rankings as a result of his Shanghai run, expressed disbelief at his achievement.
“I’m trying to pinch myself – is this real?” said Vacherot. “To have Novak on the other side of the court was, first of all, an invaluable experience for me. I have a hundred feelings right now.”
The qualifier had already ensured he would rise into the top 100 for the first time by defeating Holger Rune in the quarter-finals.
Despite his physical difficulties, Djokovic gave the Shanghai crowd hope of a comeback when he moved into a 4-3 lead in the second set before Vacherot reeled off three straight games to reach the final.
“I want to congratulate Valentin for reaching his first Masters final,” Djokovic said. “Going from qualifications, it’s an amazing story. I told him at the net that he’s had an amazing tournament, but more so his attitude is very good, and his game was amazing as well. So it’s all about him. I wish him all the best in the finals, and the better player won today.”
In the second semi-final, Rinderknech completed a remarkable turnaround against Medvedev. Trailing 6-4 after the opener, the 30-year-old won the next two sets 6-2, 6-4 to reach his second ATP Tour final.
“I can’t even say it’s a dream because I don’t think even one person in our family dreamed about it,” Rinderknech said about facing his cousin in Sunday’s final. “It was a dream that came out of nowhere.”
He added: “I couldn’t finish a point with Daniil and I was pretty much just dead after a set and I was like, you know what, maybe I’m going to lose, but I’m going to fight like crazy, so I’m going to make him tired for tomorrow and at least I’m going to help Val to try to start the match a little bit ahead physically, at least.”
Vacherot returned to centre court to watch the end of the second semi-final and embraced his cousin following his victory.
Sunday’s final in Shanghai begins at 09:30 BST.
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