Valentin Vacherot emerged victorious once more against Arthur Rinderknech, defeating his cousin in the Paris Masters second round on Tuesday.
Vacherot, who swept aside world number 16 Jiri Lehecka in the first round, fought back from a set down against Rinderknech to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Vacherot’s triumph marked his second victory against Rinderknech this month, following their historic match in the Shanghai Masters final.
The Monegasque player became the lowest-ranked individual [#204] to win a Masters 1000 title.
In Paris, Vacherot will hope to advance further when he faces Cameron Norrie in the next round.
Valentin Vacherot reacts to defeating Arthur Rinderknech
As broadcast on Sky Sports, Vacherot spoke about his muted celebration after the match, noting the ‘respect’ he has for his cousin.
Vacherot said: “When I won in Shanghai two weeks ago, I had to celebrate some. I probably would have celebrated a bit more if it wasn’t Arthur.
“But today, for the second round, for the show we give the crowd, it was just full respect for him and us and for what we are doing.”
The Monegasque star, who is up to 35 on the ATP live rankings, was also asked if he was surprised by his calm attitude during the match.
Vacherot said: “No, I have always handled them well – although some other moments no. But most of the time, in the middle of the third, I did not handle the break very well at all.
“But of course, I am surprised in some ways because playing in front of so many people. 90 per cent cheering for Arthur, probably because he is their Davis Cup player.
“But I am just enjoying it so much. Enjoying being there with Arthur on the court, in Paris. I think the crowd deserves their final of Shanghai.”
As per Sofascore, Valentin Vacherot struggled on his first serve, landing the shot just 52 per cent of the time.
However, his ability to save break-points proved crucial. Vacherot saved 11 of the 13 he faced, while Rinderknech saved six of 11.
![Valentin Vacherot vs. Arthur Rinderknech [2025 Paris Masters].](https://cdn1.tennishead.net/uploads/106/2025/10/Paris-min-819x1024.jpg)
Valentin Vacherot faces Cameron Norrie next
In the next round, Vacherot will play British number two Cameron Norrie, who defeated world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Masters second round.
The Brit’s performance against Alcaraz was extremely impressive, and it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious out of Norrie and Vacherot – who are both riding waves of momentum following recent results.
The winner of Vacherot and Norrie, who have never played each other before on the ATP Tour, will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Daniel Altmaier in the third round.
Both Vacherot and Norrie are vying for a seeded spot at the 2026 Australian Open. Vacherot has risen to 35 in the ATP live rankings, while Norrie is up to 27.
