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Valentin Vacherot Defeats Family Member for Second Time in 3 Weeks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Devang Chauhan | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 6:18 PM ET

Valentin Vacherot defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech for the second time in three weeks, claiming a 6-7 (9-11) 6-3 6-4 victory in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday. The Monegasque has catapulted himself into stardom after winning a shock title at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters 1000, where he beat the likes of Holger Rune, Novak Djokovic, and Rinderknech in the final to claim the title.

The 26-year-old needed close to three hours to make it back-to-back victories against the Frenchman after looking down and out in the middle of the final set in Bercy.

The story of the duo has captured the hearts of the tennis world over the past month, thanks to Vacherot's breakout season, which coincided with Rinderknech's best-ever season on the ATP Tour.

The 30-year-old stepped onto the court in Bercy, eyeing to take revenge on his cousin, and made a solid start to the match, taking the first set in a tight tiebreak. But the younger of the two cousins bounced back in the second set before displaying his clutch tennis in the final few games of the third set to make it two wins in a row over the World No.28.

Following the encounter, Vacherot expressed his emotions on the match to the media and revealed that he felt more tense ahead of the encounter, saying:

"I did feel a lot more tension than I did yesterday. Was that because it was Arthur on the other side of the net? Maybe. In any case, it's probably easier to approach matches against players I know less well."

"The first set wasn't easy for either of us. We were both very tense, and I think it showed. After that first set, I felt better, and the pressure dropped a little. Overall, I'm happy with how I served and with the pressure I was able to put on his return games."

Arthur Rinderknech Reflects on the Tight Third Set Against Valentin Vacherot

Arthur Rinderknech stated that he was unsure of the reason behind his failure to close out the third set against his cousin Valentin Vacherot in Bercy.

Speaking post his defeat in the post-match press conference, the Frenchman reflected on the situation and said:

“I didn’t go for my shots enough. I was clumsy. I should have gone for my shots more. There were some winners missed on my side, and there are some wonderful points where he has let and framed shots and won the break point.

"Maybe if we do the match again, he could have returned the ball in the stand, and I could have broken him, and I would have won 6-4, and it would have been a totally different match."

Vacherot will next face the British No.1 Cameron Norrie, who defeated the World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the opening round, for a place in the quarter-final of the final Masters 1000 event of the year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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