Valentin Vacherot +74 in ATP Rankings as star makes Masters 1000 history in Shanghai
The Shanghai Masters has thrown up a fair few surprises already this past fortnight, but few have come as more of a shock than the surprise run of Valentin Vacherot.
Coming through qualifying, world No 204 Vacherot stunned 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 to reach the last eight of the event, having already knocked out 14th seed Alexander Bublik and 20th seed Tomas Machac in rounds two and three.
Vacherot is now the first Monegasque man to ever reach a Masters 1000 quarter-final, and will look to continue his historic run when he faces 10th seed Holger Rune in the last eight later this week.
“It means everything,” said Vacherot, speaking to Tennis TV.
“I mean, I don’t think I could really realise what I was doing, this whole week, and it kind of all hit me when I just won that match.
“Like, genuinely, I was just happy this whole week, but not through the roof. This one is unbelievable — just so much emotion, thinking of the tough times I had last year, even this year.
“Just to share that with my coach, brother, and my girlfriend is just unbelievable. I’m having one of the best times of my life right now.”
Who is Valentin Vacherot?
Few would have likely been too familiar with Vacherot prior to his Shanghai run, with Monaco not exactly known as a tennis powerhouse.
However, the 26-year-old, who was born in Monaco in November 1998, has been making his way onto tour for a handful of years, having played collegiate tennis for Texas A&M University in the States.
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Having won a string of Futures titles from 2021 to 2023, Vacherot won his first ATP Challenger title in Nonthaburi in August 2022 and would win two further Challenger titles in the city in January 2024, also winning a title in Pune later that year.
After receiving main-draw wildcards into the Monte Carlo Masters in 2023 and 2024, Vacherot defeated Jan-Lennard Struff to pick up his first Masters 1000 match win at his home event in 2025.
That win made him the first Monegasque man to win a match in Monte Carlo since 2009, and he would push 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov to three sets in the second round.
Vacherot made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2024 French Open, coming through qualifying to reach the first round, though that remains his only major main-draw appearance to date.
His half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, is a former player and is currently part of his coaching team, while his cousin is French star Arthur Rinderknech — who is also in round four of Shanghai.
Stunning rankings rise
Having risen to a career-high ranking of world No 110 in June 2024, a difficult spell has seen Vacherot fall to 204th in the ATP Rankings.
However, a history-making run in Shanghai looks set to propel him back closer to his career-high from last year.
Vacherot earned 20 points for coming through qualifying and has now earned a further 200 points for reaching the last eight, a haul of 220 points in total.
That places him on 483 points in the ATP Live Rankings, provisionally putting him up 74 places to world No 130 as of Tuesday night.
Should he stun 10th seed Rune on Thursday, he would soar into the top 100 for the first time.
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