The Shanghai Masters final will have a bit of a familial flavor, as cousins Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech will lock horns. The two shared a heartwarming embace when Rinderknech won his semifinal and the crowd at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena will be expecting a thrilling encounter.
Vacherot’s run at the Masters 1000 event has been extraordinary, especially if we consider the fact that he entered the qualifying because Luca Nardi was pushed to the main draw following João Fonseca’s withdrawal. The Monegasque started his main-draw run with a win over Laslo Djere before ousting three seeded players in Alexander Bublik, Tomáš Macháč, and Tallon Griekspoor to reach the quarterfinals.
He then defeated 10th seed Holger Rune before shocking Novak Djokovic to reach his maiden ATP singles final. Rinderknech’s main draw in Shanghai also started against a Serb in Hamad Medjedovic but the latter retired during the second set. The Frenchman then beat three seeded players in Alex Michelsen, Alexander Zverev, and Jiří Lehečka to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Rinderknech then beat Félix Auger-Aliassime before defeating Daniil Medvedev to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final.
Valentin Vacherot vs. Arthur Rinderknech Match Details
Date: Oct. 12, 2025
Tournament: Shanghai Masters
Round: Final
Venue: Shanghai, China
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Vacherot vs. Rinderknech Head-to-Head
The two are yet to play a match on the ATP Tour, so their head-to-head is currently locked at 0-0.
Vacherot vs. Rinderknech Prediction
Both players will enter the final high on confidence and we could have an interesting fixture on our hands. Vacherot has won 223 out of 298 points on his first-serve so far during the main draw of the Shanghai Masters, amassing 44 aces. He served six of these in his semifinal and will look to fetch as many of them as he can during the final.
Vacherot has produced some fine tennis so far in Shanghai and if he produces the same level of aggression he did in the semifinals against Djokovic, his cousin will have a tough task on his hand.
The Frenchman has served pretty well so far in Shanghai, winning 218 out of 283 points (77.03%) and amassing 50 aces. Rinderknech’s serve is a crucial weapon of his and he will look to make the most out of this. The Frenchman will look to attack from the start of the match and put Vacherot on the back foot. That said, the 26-year-old’s stamina is bound to test him.
Both players have had inspiring campaigns so far in Shanghai and we could see an exciting encounter between two cousins. While Rinderknech is the higher-ranked player, the kind of tennis of tennis Vacherot has produced, there is a fair chance of him becoming the first player from Monaco to win a Masters 1000 singles title.
Prediction: Vacherot to win in three sets.
