The world No 204 Valentin Vacherot has stunned Novak Djokovic to reach the Shanghai Masters final.
The 26-year-old Monegasque triumphed 6-3, 6-4 to knock out Djokovic and record the result of his career so far, extending a remarkable run in China which could yet , Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, in Sunday’s final.
Rinderknech was next on court against Daniil Medvedev, and Vacherot signed a camera with “allez Arthur” as he departed.
Vacherot’s journey to the final has been extraordinary after spending half the season out injured. “I didn’t even come as a qualifier, I came as an alternate,” he explained this week. “I wasn’t sure to even play the qualifier. Coming back from six months out is always not easy. You cannot just come back and win tournaments right and left. You’ve just got to fight your way through a little bit.”
He beat the 10th seed, Holger Rune, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in the quarter-finals to become the second-lowest ranked player to reach the last four of an ATP Masters event. And he swiftly dispatched an out-of-sorts Djokovic to book his place in the final.
Djokovic had said he was “just trying to stay alive on the court” after his quarter-final, played out in in Shanghai, and the 24-time grand slam champion required treatment during his straight-sets defeat by Vacherot.
But Djokovic was magnanimous in defeat, saying to his opponent at the net: “You deserve it, you played unbelievable. Keep it going.”
Vacherot responded: “Thank you very much. It is such a pleasure to play at least once against you.”
He told TennisTV: “This is just crazy. I mean, crazy is a good word. To just be on the other side of a court was an already an unbelieable experience, I’ve got so much to learn from this match, from him, and even from myself.
“It was an hour and 40 of pure joy, even though not many [fans] wanted me to keep going! He’s really, really appreciated here, he’s won four times here. But it’s an unreal experience. Now I am going to enjoy the win tonight and think about the final tomorrow.”
Vacherot could now play against his older cousin Rinderknech in a family affair. The pair have been nervously watching each other’s matches from the stands, cheering each other through the rounds.
Rinderknech said after the quarter-finals: “I was stressing so much during the whole match, I’m not used to watching guys playing on court and wanting him to win so much. I was trying not to show anything. Today was a lot more calm for me on court.
“He’s going through the emotions and I’m trying to battle to follow and do as good as him. He’s been incredible since the beginning of the week and the whole family is following from home. We are in a little world here of our own. It’s been incredible, it’s been unreal.”
Both cousins will jump up the world rankings after their exploits in Shanghai. Rinderknech is set to climb into the top 30 for the first time in his career, while Vacherot will break into the top 100.