Valentin Vacherot reveals why latest Arthur Rinderknech showdown is ‘different’ to Shanghai final
Valentin Vacherot has revealed that he and cousin Arthur Rinderknech will not have “dinner together” before their latest showdown at the Paris Masters this week.
Vacherot and Rinderknech provided one of the biggest stories of the 2025 season with their respective runs at the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, with the two cousins defying the odds to both reach the final.
It was 26-year-old Vacherot who prevailed in Shanghai, beating 30-year-old Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become the lowest-ranked man to ever win a Masters 1000 title.
However, less than a month after that extraordinary meeting, Rinderknech will have the chance to gain revenge when the two meet in the second round of the Paris Masters this week.
World No 29 Rinderknech was the first to reach the second round in Paris, defeating Fabian Marozsan 7-6(5), 7-6(4) to progress on Monday.
And, an all-cousin showdown was secured on Tuesday, with world No 40 Vacherot storming past 14th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-3 in his own opening-round contest.
While this match may not be as big as their Shanghai final, this match does present a significant opportunity, with the winner potentially facing Carlos Alcaraz in the third round.
However, while the two spent plenty of time together off the court during their respective Shanghai runs, they will be keeping a respectful distance in Paris ahead of their second meeting.
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Asked about his preparation for the match in his press conference on Tuesday, Vacherot revealed that he and his cousin would not spend any time together before their match.
He said: “No, we’ll stay in our bubbles.
“I know he has a doubles match to play, as well. We’re cousins, yes, but we’re not on the same team, so we’re not going to have dinner together tonight.
“Even if in Shanghai it was a bit different, we had breakfast together, we warmed up together, it’s because we were far from everyone and everywhere. We were more on the same team in Shanghai because he came to see my matches, I would come and watch his matches, as well, and we had no one else to rely upon.
“Here, all our families are here, so we’ll stick to our sides, and I hope that we’re going to deliver a wonderful match for the crowd tomorrow.”
The pair were evenly matched throughout most of their final in Shanghai, though it was Vacherot who proved the stronger in the closing stages to triumph.
Having grown up in close quarters, there are natural similarities between their respective games, though the 26-year-old noted some “differences” ahead of this latest meeting.
“We’re both tall. We play well,” added the Monegasque.
“But I think there is slight differences between the two of us. Arthur is more offensive than I am. He likes to play to the net whenever he has the opportunity.
“I like to play from the back, because I play a lot on clay. I like physical matches, as well, and the fact that I improved so much these last months and years is that I’m more and more aggressive now. I race to the net and it pays off.”
Vacherot and Rinderknech will kickstart Centre Court action on Wednesday, with the pair’s second-round match starting at 11:00 am Paris time.
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