The tennis world witnessed an extraordinary twist at the Shanghai Masters on Friday as Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot—first cousins from Monaco—each produced massive upsets to set up an all-family final at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
Cousins in the Final: A First for Tennis
In a tournament already brimming with surprises, the semi-finals delivered two of the biggest shocks in recent ATP memory.
First, Valentin Vacherot, ranked World No. 204, toppled a visibly ailing Novak Djokovic in straight sets (6-3, 6-4), becoming the lowest-ranked player ever to reach a Masters 1000 final.
Just hours later, his cousin Arthur Rinderknech, ranked 54th, edged Daniil Medvedev in a grueling three-set duel to seal a family showdown.
The cousins’ story stretches
back to their time as teammates at Texas A&M University, where they honed their games together before turning pro. A decade later, they’ll meet again—not in practice, but for one of the sport’s biggest trophies.
History-Making for Both
At 30 years and 71 days, Rinderknech is now the oldest Frenchman to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final since the format began in 1990—breaking Ugo Humbert’s record from last year’s Paris Masters.
Meanwhile, Vacherot’s Cinderella run—from qualifier to final—marks a seismic moment for Monaco tennis, a country rarely in the Masters spotlight.
“We Never Even Dreamt of This”
After his semifinal win, Rinderknech was in disbelief.
“In the best dreams, we couldn’t have dreamt about this,” he said. “I don’t think even one person in our family dreamt about it. We started believing maybe in the quarters… now we’re the two guys standing at the end—it’s just incredible.”
When Medvedev double-faulted on match point, Rinderknech dropped to the court in stunned celebration. Watching courtside, Vacherot—who had stayed to support his cousin—buried his head in his hands before rushing over for an emotional hug.
Rinderknech’s message on the broadcast camera said it all:
“AND NOW WHAT???!!!!”
