Ben Shelton is all set to face off against Valentin Vacherot in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open on Jan. 24. This will be the first Tour-level meeting between the two players, but Shelton did beat him in a Challenger match in Las Vegas back in 2022.
Vacherot’s rise to the top of men’s tennis has been nothing short of exemplary. His win at the Shanghai Masters as a qualifier was an incredible campaign, shattering several records along the way. Let’s take an overall look at the Monagasque’s career so far.
Vacherot’s Rise To The Top 30 On The ATP Rankings
Before Shanghai last year, all of Vacherot’s achievements had been on the Challenger and the ITF Tours, with him playing a handful of matches on Tour. He won his two Qualifying matches and entered the main draw, where he won against Laslo Djere in the first round. What followed was a series of impressive wins over the likes of Alexander Bublik, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and Novak Djokovic, setting up a dream final against his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech.
Vacherot gave the campaign the finishing touch, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title. This caused a massive surge in his rankings, bringing him close to the Top 30 in the world. This was not all; he also reached the quarterfinals at the Paris Masters, defeating Jiří Lehečka, Rinderknech, and Cameron Norrie. This run ensured his entry into the Top 30 on the World Rankings.
Vacherot’s Nationality, Childhood, Time At College Tennis In The USA, Coaching, And Family
Vacherot represents Monaco on the ATP Tour, as he was born in the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin region of France, between Monaco and Menton. Vacherot’s parents are Josse and Nadine, the latter a tennis coach, and rumors say they met at a tennis club.
Vacherot has three siblings: his half-brother Benjamin, and two of his sisters, Kelvine and Peggy. He has two cousins who are professional tennis players as well- one being Rinderknech on the ATP Tour, and his other cousin is Chloe Pacquet, who is active on the WTA Tour.
As a child, Vacherot had a keen interest in skiing, but it soon turned to tennis, given his strong family ties to the sport. One of the key decisions Vacherot made was to come to the US to develop his tennis skills at the collegiate level. He studied at A&M University in Texas and learnt the tricks of the trade under the coaching of Steve Denton, a former World No. 12 and Australian Open runner-up in 1981 and 1982.
Once Vacherot became a pro, it was his brother Bernard who took over the coaching duties, and the duo has gotten off to a tremendous start so far, as evidenced by last year’s results.
Vacherot’s Australin Open Campaign So Far
Vacherot made his Australian Open debut as a seeded player, thanks to his exploits late last year. He played his first match against an American qualifier, Martin Damm, in the first round, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
His second-round match was against local favorite Rinki Hijikata, who had the crowd’s partisan support. Vacherot had a slight hiccup in the third set but won the match 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to set up the third-round clash against Shelton.
