Vacherot becomes lowest-ranked Masters 1000 winner after Shanghai

Valentin Vacherot, a 26-year-old qualifier from Monaco, won the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, beating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final to become the lowest-ranked player to claim a Masters 1000 title. Vacherot entered the event as world No. 204, defeated several higher-ranked opponents including Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic, and moved into the top 40 after collecting 1,124,380 in prize money.

Vacherot’s run was highlighted by back-to-back victories over top players and by his status as one of just three qualifiers to win a Masters event. Rinderknech, who reached his first Masters final by beating Alexander Zverev, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev, rose into the top 30 after the tournament. The Shanghai week also saw withdrawals and retirements among other leading players, including Carlos Alcaraz’s pre-tournament withdrawal and Jannik Sinner’s retirement with severe cramps, which altered the composition of the draw.

The two cousins returned to action this week in Basel, but only one was scheduled to play. Vacherot was granted a wildcard into the Swiss Indoors main draw and was drawn to face top seed Taylor Fritz in the...