Vacherot Upsets Musetti to Reach Monte Carlo Third Round

Valentin Vacherot, a 27-year-old from Monaco, upset fourth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (6), 7-5 on Wednesday evening at the 2026 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, advancing to the third round for the first time in his home tournament and becoming the first Monegasque player to reach that stage in 20 years.

The victory, played under the lights on Court Rainier III where Vacherot first learned tennis as a child, marked his second career win over a top-five opponent. It followed his maiden Masters 1000 title in Shanghai last October, when he defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic en route to the championship. Vacherot, now ranked No. 23, entered the week as the highest-ranked player from the principality and the first to qualify without a wildcard.

In the match against Musetti, last year's finalist, Vacherot fired 29 aces and won 79 percent of his first-serve points. He converted three of nine break opportunities, overcoming a rollercoaster first set where he squandered three set points before prevailing in the tiebreaker. Trailing 4-5 in the second, he broke back immediately and sealed the win on his second match point. Musetti, ranked No. 5, committed 39 unforced errors...