2 Responses to shanghai25vacherot_rinderknech

1. Voo de Mar says:

   October 12, 2025 at 12:53 pm

   Points won by each set: | 24-29, 29-22, 34-23 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   37 % Vacherot – 27 of 72
   32 % Rinderknech – 29 of 88

   Finals like this one can only happen once in fifty years. This is a story in which reality turns out to be stranger than fiction. Rinderknech [54] has been a solid player this decade, but his overall results indicate that advancement to a Masters 1K quarterfinal could be already perceived as a big success. Vacherot [204, qualifier], prior to Shanghai, had won only one main-level match in tournaments (this year against Struff in Monte Carlo!) – he came to China not being certain that he’d enter the qualifying tournament, but Nardi withdrew which gave him the opportunity to compete, in the second qualifying round Vacherot was almost eliminated in straight sets… Two players like them in such a big final is already shocking, but adding the fact they are cousins, training together since they were kids, make the story surreal. In the 3rd game of the match, Vacherot netted an overhead from a relatively easy ball facing the only break point. Even though the three years older Rinderknech had played two matches fewer during the fortnight, from the beginning of the 2nd set he looked more tired. Before the deciding set he needed an unusually long (10 minutes) toilet break, his cousin didn’t protest it lasted so long. Rinderknech won two games withstanding break points, but his younger cousin had more more fuel in the tank, broke twice, finishing the extraordinary tournament on his second match point with a FH passing-shot winner. The 26-year-old Monegasque said: “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.” Such an uncanny final in the history of the Mercedes Super 9/Masters 1K series occurred once before, in Hamburg 1996. Given the entire Open Era, I’d compare Vacherot’s triumph only to Mark Edmondson who conquered the Australian Open 1976.

   Vacherot’s route to his mainden-title (7th main-level event):
   [ Basavareddy 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2; Draxl 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 ]
   1 Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4
   2 Alexander Bublik 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
   3 Tomas Machac 6-0, 3-1 ret.
   4 Tallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4
   Q Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4
   S Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4
   W Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

   ☆ Vacherot 5 points away from losing to Basavareddy, 2 against Draxl, 5 against Griekspoor (saved six mini-match points), and 3 against Rune

   Serve & volley: Vacherot 0, Rinderknech 1/2
   

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   October 12, 2025 at 1:33 pm

   ☆☆ Before the Shanghai Masters, Vacherot was listed with a 12-9 record on the ATP website. In my opinion it doesn’t make sense, if it depended on me I’d give him just three wins (vs Struff in Monte Carlo and two against Portuguese players in Davis Cup playoffs),
   Vacherot’s other wins come from Davis Cup Group II, it’s like counting Challenger/Futures matches to the official record.

   Thanks to this unprecedented success, Vacherot jumps from no. 204 to 40.

   Linguistic curiosity:
   German: Rinderknech(t) – “servant of cattle”
   French: Vacherot – “little cowherd”

   Their both surnames can be translated as “cowherd”, “herdsman”
   

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