Valentin Vacherot’s title run at the 2025 Shanghai Masters was nothing short of a fairy tale. He entered the tournament as an alternate qualifier and fought his way past top players, including Novak Djokovic, to win his first ATP Tour title.
By winning this ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament in Shanghai, Vacherot became the first player from Monaco to secure an ATP Tour singles title.
How Did Valentin Vacherot Win the 2025 Shanghai Masters?
Vacherot entered the 2025 Shanghai Masters qualifiers after Luca Nardi was pushed to the main draw due to João Fonseca’s withdrawal from the tournament.
In Shanghai, the Monégasque started his qualifying campaign by defeating Nishesh Basavareddy with a score of 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2 in the first qualifying round. He then eliminated Liam Draxl with a score of 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the second qualifying round.
In the main draw, Vacherot began his campaign by triumphing over Laslo Djere, winning 6-3, 6-4 in the first round, and defeating 14th seed Alexander Bublik with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. He then overcame 20th seed Tomáš Macháč 6-0, 3-1 retd., and 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
In the quarterfinals, the 26-year-old eliminated 10th seed Holger Rune with a score of 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 and earned his place in the final by defeating four-time Shanghai Masters winner Djokovic in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Vacherot faced his cousin Arthur Rinderknech and lost the first set 4-6. However, he made a stunning comeback to win the next two sets and ultimately claimed the match and, in turn, the title with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Started the week as an alternate
Finished the week with the trophy in his hands 🏆#RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/xIvBgm5NaC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 12, 2025
After winning the 2025 Shanghai Masters, Vacherot described the victory as “unreal” and expressed his happiness with his performance throughout the tournament.
“It is unreal what just happened. I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy. 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,” Vacherot said.
The moment Vacherot completed a fairytale run 🙌#RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/lFMt9ez7h7
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 12, 2025
Before arriving at the ATP Masters 1000 hard court tournament in Shanghai, Vacherot had only one tour-level win to his name, which he achieved earlier that year at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. He received a wild card entry into his home tournament and defeated Jan-Lennard Struff with a score of 6-2, 6-1 in the first round before losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the second round.
