"Valentin Vacherot continued his fairytale run through the Shanghai Masters draw by toppling an injured Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist. In his first match against a top-five opponent, let alone the greatest men's player of all time, the Monegasque world No 204 maintained his composure as he punished a hampered Djokovic, who appeared to struggle with his left gluteal muscle from early in the first set."
"Having entered the tournament as the second-lowest direct entrant into the qualifying draw, Vacherot has put together one of the most shocking runs at a big tournament, winning eight matches over the past two weeks. That has included victories over the No 14 seed, Alexander Bublik, and Holger Rune, the 10th seed, alongside this giantkilling win over Djokovic, the fourth seed."
"Vacherot's run has been an incredible spectacle by itself, but it has been made even more remarkable by the events in the top half of the draw. His cousin, the ATP No 54 Arthur Rinderknech, has simultaneously put together the best result of his career by reaching the semi-finals. He faces the former ATP No 1 Daniil Medvedev in the second semi-final on Saturday."
Valentin Vacherot, world No 204 from Monaco, defeated an injured Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist. Vacherot maintained composure against Djokovic, who struggled with a left gluteal muscle early in the match. Entering as the second-lowest direct entrant into qualifying, Vacherot won eight matches in two weeks, including victories over No 14 seed Alexander Bublik and No 10 seed Holger Rune. His career-high ranking is No 110. Cousin Arthur Rinderknech, ATP No 54, reached the semi-finals and will face Daniil Medvedev in the other semi-final. Both cousins played college tennis for Texas A&M.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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