'One family that won' – Vacherot beats cousin for historic Shanghai title
World number 204 Valentin Vacherot beats his cousin Arthur Rinderknech at the Shanghai Masters to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion.
World number 204 Valentin Vacherot beats his cousin Arthur Rinderknech at the Shanghai Masters to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion.
Arthur Rinderknech’s rollercoaster 2025 has swerved from thoughts of retirement to a career-high in the PIF ATP Rankings, all in the space of five months.
The Frenchman’s dream run at the Rolex Shanghai Masters ended in championship-match defeat to his cousin, Valentin Vacherot on Sunday evening. Yet despite the 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 loss, the 30-year-old Rinderknech was quickly able to recognise the scale of his achievement at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 event.
Did you ever think you’d see this before a trophy ceremony? 🥹
Rivals, competitors, but always family first ❤️@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/pTV1mraXjB
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2025
In mid-June, Rinderknech entered qualifying at the HSBC Championships at London’s Queen’s Club as the owner of a moderate 5-15 tour-level record for the 2025 season. At an emotional Shanghai trophy ceremony on Sunday, he recalled how his early-season struggles had driven him to the brink of ending his pro career and cited the influence of his fellow Frenchman, former Top 10 star Lucas Pouille, in helping him turn his season around.
“Thank you to Lucas [who is] at home,” said Rinderknech, who is 21-11 since the start of Queen’s, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “We started when I was ‘below the floor’ five months ago. I was thinking about stopping tennis at some points, because I wasn’t seeing the point anymore. You believed in me, you gave me my chance and trusted in me… Now here we are in the Top 30. I hope it’s only the beginning. I can’t thank you enough.”
Rinderknech also saved a special mention for Pouille’s four-year-old daughter, Rose: “I can also thank Rose as much. Rose gave me a lucky charm, and I think it’s a good one. So merci, Rose.”
Rinderknech upset seeded opponents Alex Michelsen, Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev en route to the final in Shanghai. He will on Monday rise 26 spots to a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings, while he will also leave China with fond memories of reaching the biggest championship match of his career.
“I want to thank you all for the whole support this week,” said Rinderknech, addressing the crowd at Qizhong Stadium. “It was amazing. Amazing to play on the centre court. The conditions were perfect, one of the nicest centre courts in the world. I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed the battle. I gave everything I had in every match. It was hot. It was humid. I sweat everything I had.
“Today was not enough to get the win, but I gave it all and that’s all that matters. I really enjoyed my time on the court so thank you to the Chinese fans and the Shanghai population.”
Rinderknech was unable to stop the charge of World No. 204 Vacherot, who produced a stunning deciding-set performance to overcome his older cousin and become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 titlist in history. As he addressed his cousin in French, Rinderknech was overcome with emotion and struggled to get his words out.
“To Valentin, my dear cousin. You gave everything,” said Rinderknech, as translated by the commentary team. “I’m so happy for you, I hope you are going to have more.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Daniil Medvedev has made six consecutive Nitto ATP Finals appearances. Will the 2020 champion make a big comeback to secure a seventh straight showing at the season finale?
Medvedev entered the Rolex Shanghai Masters in 20th place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, nearly out of contention for a spot in Italy from 9-16 November. But the 29-year-old advanced to the semi-finals in Shanghai, climbing to 15th in the Live Race.
PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (following Shanghai)
| Player | Points |
| 3) Novak Djokovic | 4,580 |
| 4) Alexander Zverev | 4,280 |
| 5) Taylor Fritz | 3,835 |
| 6) Ben Shelton | 3,720 |
| 7) Alex de Minaur | 3,545 |
| 8) Lorenzo Musetti | 3,435 |
| 9) Jack Draper* | 2,990 |
| 10) Felix Auger-Aliassime | 2,905 |
*Draper is not competing the rest of the season due to injury.
With 2,360 points, Medvedev now trails eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti by 1,075 points. Although there is not a lot of time to surge into a qualifying spot, Medvedev has an opportunity. The former World No. 1 will try to make up ground this week at the Almaty Open — an ATP 250 event — where he is the second seed. Musetti is the top seed at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels.
Medvedev is also scheduled to compete in the ATP 500 in Vienna, where he won the title in 2022, and the Rolex Paris Masters, giving him a chance to earn 1,750 points in his next three tournaments.
Musetti and sixth-placed Ben Shelton are trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. Ninth-placed Jack Draper was also trying to make his debut, but will not compete for the rest of the season due to injury.
Everyone else currently in a qualifying position has competed in the year-end championships before. Novak Djokovic is a record seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion and Alexander Zverev has claimed glory at the event twice.
Tenth-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime put himself in position to make a qualification push by reaching the US Open semi-finals. The Canadian, currently 530 points behind Musetti, is the second seed in Stockholm. Eleventh-placed Casper Ruud (2,495 points) is the second seed at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm where 12th-placed Holger Rune (2,490 points) is the top seed.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. Sinner is the defending champion, and Alcaraz will chase his first title at the tournament.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]It was a fortnight to remember and one that will take time to truly process.
Valentin Vacherot’s stunning title run at the Rolex Shanghai Masters stands as one of the most extraordinary stories, not just of this season, but in the history of the ATP Tour. Arriving at No. 204 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Vacherot surged from qualifying all the way to the trophy at the ATP Masters 1000 event in China, defeating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in a memorable final. Afterward, the 26-year-old tried his best to summarise his emotions.
“I don’t even understand why I’m sitting here right now. It’s crazy,” Vacherot said when reflecting on his achievement on Sunday evening. “I think I’m going to start realising in the next few days. Right now, I just want to enjoy the moment. I just got really, really emotional on the court after the ceremony, being up there with Arthur.
“It was just some unreal moments for both of us, for our family. Unfortunately, there was one winner. But our family won, and the sport of tennis won as well, because the story we just wrote is amazing. The emotions were just everywhere after the match.”
Vacherot was outside the qualifying cutoff when the entry list was released, but moved into the draw after arriving in Shanghai thanks to withdrawals. He was two points from defeat in the second round of qualifying against Liam Draxl but survived.
He then eliminated Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac and Tallon Griekspoor to become the first player from Monaco to advance to the quarter-finals at a Masters 1000. Stunning wins against Holger Rune and four-time champion Novak Djokovic followed before he beat Rinderknech to become the lowest-ranked champion in Masters 1000 series history (since 1990).
“When I landed here, I wasn’t even supposed to play the tournament,” Vacherot said. “I took a little gamble to come play. I got in just a little more than one day before the start. The challenges were just everywhere. Even in the first round of qualifications, I was down 6-7, 3-4. I saved a break point when 3-4 down in the third in the second qualification round.
“Then saving break points against Bublik in the second round after being down in the first set. I won six matches from being down from the first set. So the challenges were just everywhere. I’m just so happy. So happy that I just cooperated with all that and to be even sitting here right now is surreal to me.”
Vacherot has climbed 164 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to crack the Top 100 and Top 50 for the first time on Monday. He also takes $1,124,380 in prize money with him, having earned $594,077 for his whole career before this fortnight.
“[I am] 40? Wonderful,” Vacherot said. “I still had the little goal before coming here to be Top 100 before the end of the season. I knew that it was going to take so much, because we know how hard it is to even win one Challenger. So I knew that if I wanted to be Top 100 before the end of the season I had to win a few.
“It’s pretty crazy to say, but even this summer I had this tournament in my mind. I knew it was the biggest tournament before the end of the season that I would have my chance to get into with now the big draws in the qualifications. I knew I had a chance to get into it and if I wanted to reach my goal of Top 100 I had to do good here. Little did I know that’s what I would be doing here.”
Vacherot upset former World No. 1 Djokovic in straight sets in the semi-final and then put on a show in the title match against Rinderknech. Among the thousands packed into a buzzing Stadium Court for the title match, one spectator stood out above all: Roger Federer.
“It was amazing to have him out there,” Vacherot said on Federer. “Whenever they were putting him on the screen, I think it was making more noise than after some of the great points we played. That’s how amazing and great he is to the sport. I got to play Novak yesterday. I got to meet Roger today. I mean, even outside tennis, it’s just a crazy week.”
Vacherot, who had earned just one tour-level win prior to Shanghai, made history on Sunday by becoming the first Monegasque player to win a tour-level singles title. The 26-year-old is proud of his ability to deliver for The Principality.
“I knew they had a big watch party,” Vacherot said. “Because it’s Sunday, everyone is off work, so I think this is probably the day there are the most people. And just to hold the flag, and to be able to do that for my country is unreal. I’m just thinking about our little federation, our little small country, one of the smallest countries in the world.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Coco Gauff beats Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win the Wuhan Open.
Valentin Vacherot became the eighth first-time winner on the ATP Tour this season and the fifth player to capture his first title at an ATP Masters 1000 event when he triumphed on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Vacherot upset Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic en route to the final, before he beat cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final. The 26-year-old is the first player from Monaco to win an ATP Tour singles title.
ATPTour.com caught up with Vacherot to discuss the significance of his trophy run, journey to this point and much more…
What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
I thought my first title could be an ATP 250. But to do it at a Masters 1000 here in Shanghai — my first time in China, first time in Shanghai — I think this country will have the biggest place in my heart. It means the world to me.
Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
A lot of people: Firstly, my parents. I play tennis thanks to them. When I was just out of the hospital, when I was just a few days old, they would put me on the side of the court and play. My brother and coach Benjamin, who has been taking care of me since I got out of college in 2021. Bernard Balleret, Benjamin’s dad, not my dad. He taught me how to play tennis from 10 to 18. The guys from the Monegasque Tennis Federation.
I want to thank Arthur, too. He was at Texas A&M and I didn’t think about going to another school, I just trusted him to join him there and get better. As you saw, we have gotten much, much better. Standing here today with him was surreal.
This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
I have no idea. I can’t wait to go back home. This is going to be an amazing moment for everyone. To see my friends and my families and my parents, I will see them as soon as a I can. The season is not over, I still have some work to do. Once everything is finished, I will celebrate with my friends.
Playing your cousin in the final, the first time you played each other since an ITF World Tennis Tour event in 2018… How strange is it to compare that 2018 match to the experience you shared together today?
He was starting his career in 2018, one of his first ITF tournaments after finishing college. I was still in college. I was just wanting to train and went to a few ITFs and ended up playing him in the quarter-finals at one. That was fun.
Little did we know that the next time we would play would be here. I did wonder a little if I came back up in the rankings, when would be the first time we would play each other and our family would have a big laugh and a huge moment. To be in a final at a Masters 1000 final is amazing.
How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
Off the court I am really calm, really down to earth. I am not someone you will hear much in the room. Not someone who speaks a lot. It is the little side of me that has helped me a lot on court this week in the big moments.
On court I am pretty energetic, putting all my energy on the court, in training and matches.
What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I really enjoy sitting on the couch and watching Netflix. [I] play video games and I am a huge sports fan, watch football. [I] watch tennis if there are some of my favourite players playing or my friends. Football or F1, big moments I am watching. I will go on the beach a bit, walk around with my girlfriend.
Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech’s remarkable respective runs at the Rolex Shanghai Masters came to a fairytale close on Sunday, when Vacherot rallied to defeat his cousin and former college teammate 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and capture his maiden tour-level title. In doing so, the Monegasque World No. 204 became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990).
“It is unreal what just happened. I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy,” Vacherot said. “I am just so happy with my performances the past two weeks. I just want to thank everyone who has helped with my career since the beginning. There has to be one loser but I think there is two winners today. One family that won and I think for the sport of tennis, the story is unreal.”
Competing in front of a packed Stadium Court at one of the biggest events on the ATP Tour, the setting for the final could not have been further removed from the pair’s Texas A&M University days, where they played side by side in 2018.
Fast forward seven years and their paths have diverged. Rinderknech arrived in Shanghai with a career-high of No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings, with his best result a final run at the ATP 250 in Adelaide in 2022. He had never progressed beyond the third round at a Masters 1000 event until this week.
Vacherot’s rise, however, proved even more improbable. The 26-year-old entered the tournament with just one tour-level win to his name, earned earlier this year in Monte-Carlo. He became the lowest-ranked finalist in Masters 1000 history (since 1990), and over the course of two unforgettable weeks, rewrote the trajectory of his career.
After battling through qualifying, the 26-year-old notched wins against Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor to become the first player representing Monaco to reach a Masters 1000 quarter-final. He then stunned Holger Rune and four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic to reach the title match.
In a compelling final, Vacherot once again showcased his resilience. He rallied from a set down for the sixth time this tournament, including qualifying, to become the first player representing Monaco to win a tour-level title in the Open Era. He is also just the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 crown, joining Roberto Carretero (Hamburg 1996) and Albert Portas (Hamburg 2001).
“I feel when I am down, I have no choice and need to bring my A-game,” Vacherot said on his impressive record of coming from behind. “In the first set I didn’t do that and he was playing better than me. I took my first chance to break in the second set and from that the crowd got more involved and we put on more of a show in the second part of the match.”
From alternate to MASTERS 1000 CHAMPION 🏆
World No. 204 Valentin Vacherot defeats cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6 6-3 6-3 to claim the crown in Shanghai.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/SPr3iupUQR
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2025
The Monegasque is the eighth first-time champion on Tour this season and just the fifth man in ATP Masters 1000 history to claim his maiden tour-level title at this level, following Jakub Mensik, who achieved the feat earlier this year in Miami.
Vacherot leaves Shanghai up 164 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to crack the Top 100 and Top 50 for the first time on Monday. He also takes $1,124,380 in prize money with him, having earned $594,077 for his whole career before this fortnight.
“I was just trying to beat the guy on the other side of the net,” Vacherot said on the dynamics of facing Rinderknech. “Try to put on the side that it is my cousin and the guy I have been training with and growing up with. It was very tough and he did a better job than me in the first set, coping with the pressure. But I just found a way to turn it around.”
Throughout the fortnight, Rinderknech and Vacherot supported each other from the sidelines, cheering one another on and sharing words of encouragement both in person and through their family group chat.
Vacherot had a front-row seat for Rinderknech’s standout run, which included wins against Top 20 opponents Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev. On Sunday, he experienced first-hand just how tough his cousin can be to beat.
Rinderknech struck 12 winners and committed just two unforced errors in an impressive opening-set display, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 30-year-old took the ball early to rush Vacherot and gained the decisive break of the first set in the third game to lead in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.
Vacherot responded in the second set. The 26-year-old kept Rinderknech deep behind the baseline, gaining the first strike in the exchanges to dictate the tempo. From 3-3 in the second set, Vacherot broke Rinderknech in consecutive games to lead by a break in the third set. From there, he continued to play aggressively, taking large cuts at the ball to dominate. He won 92 per cent of his first-serve points in the decider and hit just one unforced error in the third set to capture the biggest win of his life after two hours and 11 minutes.
Rinderknech is up 26 places to No. 28 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career high on Monday. The 30-year-old recorded his 100th tour-level win in the semi-finals to become the ninth French Masters 1000 finalist in series history.
Did You Know?
Rinderknech’s meeting with Vacherot was just the third all-unseeded Masters 1000 final in series history.
The ATP Tour returns to indoor action this week, when Almaty, Brussels and Stockholm are the hosts for an ATP 250 tripleheader.
World No. 10 Karen Khachanov is top seed and defending champion at the Almaty Open, where he is joined in the draw by former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, while Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime aim to boost their Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes when they compete at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels.
Two other Turin hopefuls, Holger Rune and Casper Ruud, headline at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm.
ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at all three events.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ALMATY
1) Defending Champ Khachanov: Khachanov returned to the Top 10 for the first time in two years in August after a memorable few months during which he reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the final in Toronto. The 29-year-old returns to Almaty this year aiming to snap a three-match losing streak following early defeats at the US Open, in Beijing and in Shanghai. The top seed will hope to recapture the form that helped him earn the Almaty title in 2024.
Watch Khachanov Hold Off Diallo For 2024 Almaty Crown:
2) Medvedev On The Move: Following his semi-final run in Shanghai, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Medvedev will aim to maintain his late-season momentum on his Almaty debut. He will compete as the second seed in Kazakhstan’s most populous city. Having struggled for his best level for much of 2025, Medvedev has reentered the Nitto ATP Finals qualification picture and will head to Astana in 15th place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
3) Italians Seek Strong End To 2025: Twenty-three-year-old Italians Flavio Cobolli and Luciano Darderi have both enjoyed standout years on the ATP Tour. Cobolli has claimed two titles, including an ATP 500 crown in Hamburg, while 24-year-old Darderi has lifted three trophies. Neither man has triumphed on any surface but clay, however, and they will each try to change that as the third and fourth seeds, respectively, in Almaty.
4) Shevchenko Leads Home Charge: A former Top 50 player, Alexander Shevchenko enters Almaty with a 13-18 record for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Now competing as the World No. 89, the Kazakhstani will hope to channel home support starting with his first-round match against Laslo Djere.
5) In-form Andreozzi/Guinard: Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard reached three consecutive semi-finals in Asia (Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai) and they are the top seeds in Almaty. The Argentine-French duo’s rivals in the draw include second seeds Constantin Frantzen/Robin Haase and defending champions Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli/Arjun Kadhe.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BRUSSELS
1) Musetti Seeks Turin Boost: The chase for qualification spots at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals is heating up and Musetti is well in contention to secure his debut appearance with four weeks to go until Turin. Musetti, who is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, competes as the top seed in Brussels.
2) Felix In Pursuit: Auger-Aliassime is just 530 points behind Musetti in the Live Race and the Canadian lines up as one of two former BNP Paribas Fortis European Open champions (alongside 2024 titlist Roberto Bautista Agut) in the Brussels field after he triumphed in the event’s former home of Antwerp in 2022. The 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime has won six of his seven tour-level crowns indoors.
3) New Home For The Tournament: After nine years in Antwerp, the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open has moved to Brussels for this year’s edition. Hopes for a first home champion in the history of the Belgian tournament will be led by Zizou Bergs, who will compete at a career-high No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings, while former Top 10 star David Goffin enters as a wild card.
4) Fonseca’s Indoor Debut: Joao Fonseca has made a big impression indoors so far in his young career: The Brazilian triumphed at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah and also triumphed on his Laver Cup debut against Cobolli last month. He will play his first ATP 250 event under a roof this week in Brussels, where he is aiming to add a second tour-level title to the one he won in Buenos Aires earlier this year.
5) Nys/Roger-Vasselin Top Seeds: A couple of Nitto ATP Finals-chasing teams lead the Brussels doubles draw. Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who are ninth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, are the top seeds. Christian Harrison and Evan King, eighth in the Live Doubles Teams Rankings, are seeded second.
[ATP APP] FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN STOCKHOLM
1) Rune Eyes Repeat Success: Denmark’s Rune enjoyed a stunning BNP Paribas Nordic Open debut in 2022, when he overcame Alex de Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the title. This year, the 22-year-old returns to compete in Stockholm for the first time in two years. Rune is the top seed and will eye a deep run to boost his Turin hopes: He is currently 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
2) Ruud Returns: Another Scandinavian, Casper Ruud, lies one place ahead of Rune in the Live Race. The Norwegian, who reached the championship match at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, will attempt to move closer to Musetti and Auger-Aliassime above him with a deep run in Stockholm, where he reached the quarter-finals a year ago.
3) Former Champ Shapovalov: Having returned to the Top 30 after a long road back from injury, Denis Shapovalov will seek a big finish to his 2025 season. The Canadian will hope to this week forge a repeat of fond memories in Stockholm, where he won his maiden tour-level trophy in 2019. Shapovalov is 22-19 for the year, a tally that includes title runs in Dallas and Los Cabos.
4) Ymer Brothers, Borg In Action: A trio of Swedish stars compete as wild cards in their country’s capital. Former Top 50 player Mikael Ymer makes his first Stockholm appearance since 2022, when he upset Tommy Paul en route to the quarter-finals. His brother Elias Ymer will also compete, while Leo Borg, son of ATP No. 1 Club member Bjorn Borg, plays his first ATP Tour main draw of the season.
5) Bolelli/Vavassori Eye Stockholm Success: Currently seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori know a good week in Stockholm could haul them closer to a second consecutive Nitto ATP Finals appearance on home soil in Turin. The Italians are top seeds in the Swedish capital, where their rivals include second seeds Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz etched their names onto an exclusive list in German tennis history on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
With their 6-4, 6-4 championship-match victory against Andre Goransson and Alex Michelsen in China, Krawietz and Puetz became just the second all-German duo to win a doubles title in ATP Masters 1000 series history (since 1990). The players they have joined on that list? A pair of illustrious singles stars in former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Boris Becker and former World No. 2 Michael Stich, who won the 1992 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters doubles crown together.
German engineering at its finest 🇩🇪🏆
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz defeat Goransson/Michelsen 6-4 6-4 to capture their maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown as an all-German team.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/umnG6NsRxt
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2025
“Let’s not put us in any way in the same category as these two,” said the 37-year-old Puetz after lifting his second Masters 1000 crown (he also won the Rolex Paris Masters in 2021 alongside New Zealander Michael Venus. “[My first Masters 1000 title] was very special. Actually, Michael Stich sent me a text message after the first one. I didn’t know him at all, and it was very, very nice of him. He sent me a really nice message after I won in Paris.
“It’s not nicer with Kevin, but it’s definitely different winning it with a countryman… We’re actually genuinely friends, also with our teams. We go see each other, even when we don’t have tournaments. So it’s very, very nice to share that. Obviously, victories are nice, but also to share in defeats. I think all in all we’re just happy with this phase of our careers and our lives to be together in those moments.”
Krawietz and Puetz converted three of eight break points they earned in Sunday’s final, according to Infosys ATP Stats. They let slip a 3-1 lead in the second set but immediately notched a second, decisive break of the set in the seventh game en route to an 83-minute victory.
Having marched to the Shanghai title for the loss of just one set, Krawietz and Puetz have risen one spot to sixth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. They are well placed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where they lifted the trophy last year.
“We got to the semi-finals, and then after the semi-final I was of course happy to be in the final,” reflected the 33-year-old Krawietz on his Shanghai run with Puetz. “Of course, you want to win the final. Here and there some tight moments, of course, so I had to figure out how to handle it.
“In the end it went the right way, so very happy, very proud. Let’s enjoy the moment now.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]In 2018 the Texas A&M University men’s tennis team suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the semi-finals of the NCAA Championships to Wake Forest University. Arthur Rinderknech played No. 2 singles for A&M while his cousin, Valentin Vacherot, competed at No. 4 singles. Their matches were side by side on that difficult day, which marked the end of Rinderknech’s accomplished college tennis career.
Head coach Steve Denton, the two-time Australian Open finalist, still remembers what Rinderknech said to him in the aftermath of that loss.
“When Arthur left to go out to try to go play [professionally], I remember him saying to me, ‘Steve, make sure that you take care of my cousin like you took care of me’,” Denton told ATPTour.com. “I said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll do that’.”
Denton has maintained his relationship with the cousins, who on Sunday will meet for ATP Masters 1000 glory in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. They each defeated a former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings — Rinderknech ousted Daniil Medvedev and Vacherot beat Novak Djokovic — in the semi-finals.
“This is a dream come true for these two guys,” Denton said. “They’ve taken the road maybe not traveled as much, obviously, and unless you’re a freak like a [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz, a lot of players have to go through all these things in order to get to where they are.”
The college coach has been waking up in the middle of the night to watch his former players playing in China. It has been a thrilling experience for Denton, who wanted to travel to Shanghai for the final. However, by the time the former Aggies reached the championship match, there were no flights that would arrive on time.
“I went to sleep last night and it was very improbable that Valentin Vacherot was going to beat Novak Djokovic,” Denton said. “Arthur has been playing really well, and he’s very confident, but still, Medvedev is a former number one player in the world and for Arthur to be able to win that match and then get to play each other in the finals is just an amazing story.”
Denton traveled to France when Rinderknech was still a junior to watch three or four players and gauge his interest in them. After watching Arthur for two minutes, the former singles World No. 12 and doubles World No. 2 knew which player he wanted.
When Rinderknech first arrived on campus at Texas A&M, the Frenchman was unable to compete for a year because he was ineligible. The character he showed that year stuck with the longtime coach.
“He suffered watching the other guys play,” Denton said. “And I think that suffering that he went through really helped him in a lot of respects, molded him into being this selfless leader.”
It was all about the team for Rinderknech in an individual sport. Fast forward to Saturday when he lost the first set in the semi-finals against Medvedev. A career-best run was nearing an end against the 2019 Shanghai champion and in the moment, the 30-year-old was not fully focused on winning the match, but trying to help wear down Medvedev so he would be exhausted Sunday in the final against his cousin.
“That’s the kind of kid he is. He’s always been a team player for us,” Denton said. “He was a team player, and he kind of hung in there in that match thinking, ‘Well, if I can’t win, maybe I can take Medvedev’s legs away from him a little bit by staying out here and giving Val a better chance’. And they both think that way. They both have a lot of humility. They both are very team oriented and clearly even more so than that, they are family oriented.”
That is a big reason why Vacherot ended up playing at Texas A&M, even if Denton had no idea Rinderknech had a cousin — let alone such a good tennis player — early on.
“After the first year and me having a good relationship with him and him loving it here, I think he thought, ‘Okay, this is a good spot for my cousin, I’m going to look out for him and I’m going to make sure he comes here’,” Denton said. “And that’s what happened.”
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The pair overlapped for two seasons and helped take the programme to its greatest heights. Rinderknech was more confident and outgoing compared to Vacherot, who was “pretty reserved”. But both proved great leaders, just in their own style. It has been special to watch their dramatic breakthrough from afar.
“You tell young players and their families that you’re going to take care of them and that you’re going to help them to try to go play pro tennis,” Denton said. “And so by doing that, you have to continue to stay involved in their game. And I’ve been involved with their game from the beginning, and as long as they want me to help them, I’m happy to do it.”
Although Denton will not be in Shanghai, he is eager to turn on the match in the early hours of Sunday morning in Texas to watch his Aggies battle in just the second ATP Masters 1000 final between former college tennis players in series history (since 1990). Mikael Pernfors (Georgia) beat Todd Martin (Northwestern) in the 1993 Canada final.
“There are lots of exciting stories about tennis, but this story, at this time, is I think as good as any this year,” Denton said. “And what I’m excited about is these two guys have basically told the rest of the world that college tennis is a definite pathway to the Tour.”
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