Valentin Vacherot and Novak Djokovic Headline Historic 2025 Twist at Shanghai Masters

Following in fellow Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech’s footsteps, Vacherot played college tennis at Texas A&M University before turning pro, and he came into Shanghai with just one career Masters 1000 victory. Yet this week, he’s been on an absolute tear. The 26-year-old has built his run on resilience, surviving two rounds of qualifying and grinding out comeback wins in nearly every match. And along the way, he took down No. 14 seed Alexander Bublik and No. 27 seed Tallon Griekspoor, improving to 6-1 against Top 50 opponents this season.

Now, Valentin Vacherot’s rise is part of a growing wave of underdogs rewriting the script on the ATP Masters stage. With his remarkable run, a qualifier has now reached the semifinals at consecutive Masters 1000 events, following Terence Atmane’s breakout in Cincinnati. But that’s not the only piece of history Vacherot has written for himself.

Valentin Vacherot turns alternate entry into historic run

With his grueling two-hour, 59-minute victory over Holger Rune, Monegasque No. 1 Valentin Vacherot etched his name into the history books as the second-lowest-ranked semifinalist in Masters 1000 history since the series began in 1990. The only player ranked lower to achieve that feat was American Chris Woodruff, who made the Indian Wells semifinals in 1999 while sitting at No. 550 in the world. And for Vacherot, this wasn’t just about making history, his win also locked in a long-awaited milestone, catapulting him 112 spots to No. 92 in the live ATP rankings and officially breaking into the Top 100 for the first time in his career.

Reflecting on his unbelievable run, Valentin Vacherot admitted that none of this was supposed to happen. “I didn’t come as a qualifier, I came as an alternate. I wasn’t even sure I was going to play qualifying,” he revealed after the match. For a player who didn’t know if he’d even get a shot at competing, reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 feels almost too good to be true. “This is just unbelievable,” he said, still trying to process the magnitude of it all.

Even with all the momentum and emotion, Vacherot confessed it was hard to block out the thought of finally cracking the Top 100 as he approached match point. “It was tough not to think about it on match point,” he admitted later. But when it mattered most, the 26-year-old kept his cool, trusted his instincts, and finished strong. “I know this is just a step,” he said with a smile. “I cannot wait for the semifinal. I’m just so happy and living the dream.” 

Now, whether Valentin Vacherot can pull off the ultimate upset against Novak Djokovic tomorrow remains to be seen. That said, do you think his dream run in Shanghai marks the beginning of a true breakout season, or is it just a lightning-in-a-bottle moment?