Valentin Vacherot comfortably defeated world number 16 Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday to set up an enticing rematch of the Shanghai Masters final.
Earlier in October, Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech contested the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 final in history at the Shanghai Masters.
Vacherot, ranked 204th at the time, became the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history after defeating then world number 54 Rinderknech in three sets.
Consequently, Vacherot moved inside the world’s top 40, while Rinderknech moved up to world number 28.
Two weeks later, Vacherot and Rinderknech will meet again, this time in the Paris Masters second round.
Vacherot, who defeated Lehecka 6-1, 6-3 in just 54 minutes, offered his thoughts on facing his cousin again, while reflecting on his own tennis.
Valentin Vacherot says ‘I can see that I’m quite good’
After winning the Shanghai Masters, tennis fans may have wondered whether Valentin Vacherot’s triumph was merely a flash in the pan, so to speak.
However, after a battling performance against Taylor Fritz in Basel, and his resounding triumph against Lehecka in Paris, it is clear the Monegasque player will be a force on the ATP Tour for the foreseeable future.
Vacherot will hope to continue this form against Rinderknech, who defeated Fabian Marozsan on Monday.
After defeating Lehecka on Tuesday, Vacherot was asked whether he is the favourite in his match against Rinderknech.
“No. This is what helps me. I can’t say that I’m the favourite,” Vacherot replied.
“Ten days ago, I was 204th in the rankings. Facing Lehecka, I’m 40th in the ranking, and he’s 18th in the ranking.
“But I just enjoy myself, practicing, playing on the court. When I arrived on the court for the game, for the match, I just want to enjoy myself, playing my best tennis.
“To surf on the momentum of Shanghai, and even against Fritz, I was two balls down from the match, but it is not a defeat. It’s just pure pleasure, and I hope that I will do my best and even continue like this for next year.”
A reporter then asked: “You said that it was a dream, a child’s dream come true. Now all the best tournaments are going to open their doors to you. Apart from Monte-Carlo, are there some tournaments that make you dream more, that you’d like more?”
In response, Vacherot said: “Well, when you’re breaking in the top 50, you don’t have to ask questions about the schedule anymore.
“When you have a few ATP 250s, you might wonder which one you’re going to get into, but in Australia I played the qualifiers, and reaching the main draw now and being there ahead of time, it’s wonderful.
“Indian Wells, Acapulco, and the whole tour, everything, all tournaments, this is going to be exceptional, and I’m looking forward to it so much.”
The winner of Vacherot and Rinderknech will likely face an extremely tough test in the Paris Masters third round.
One of these players will face either Cameron Norrie or Carlos Alcaraz.
Vacherot is up to world number 38 on the ATP live rankings, and will hope to rise further with a win against his cousin.
This has certainly been a memorable period for the 26-year-old, who has become an overnight sensation on the ATP Tour.
Few players have experienced such a steep rise to fame in such a short time span, but the Monegasque star continues to exude class on and off the court, while remaining humble.
The 26-year-old demonstrated his humble personality once again on Tuesday when responding to a question from the press.
Vacherot described the belief he has in his game, noting an awareness of his own excellent level as a tennis player.
“No, well, I don’t think that I’m on cloud nine,” Vacherot told reporters in Paris.
“I played a wonderful match today. I did less than 10 unforced errors. I don’t think that all matches are going to be like this.
“However, had I beaten everyone in two sets in Shanghai, I would have been on cloud nine, but I didn’t. It wasn’t the fact in Shanghai. Not all the stars were aligned.
“Two matches afterwards, after Fritz, after this one, I can see that I’m quite good. I have quite a good level of tennis, and I need to make further improvements.”
Vacherot could capitalise on Alcaraz’s Paris struggles
If Vacherot does advance past Rinderknech, he could play world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the third round.
Alcaraz has never won the Paris Masters. In fact, he has never made it past the quarter-final stage.
In 2024, the Spaniard was shocked in the round of 16 by Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
Therefore, if Vacherot can perform at a high level, and Alcaraz plays below par, the Monegasque star could have the opportunity to cause a serious shock.
