Vacherot in shock after ‘crazy’ Shanghai triumph; Gauff beats Pegula to win all-American Wuhan Open final
- Last updated: October 13, 2025 | 10:51
World number 204 Valentin Vacherot said he was in shock on Sunday after beating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Shanghai Masters, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP 1000 tournament.
The unlikely all-family final between the 54th-ranked Frenchman Rinderknech and Vacherot, from Monaco was described by the latter’s coach and half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, as a “fairytale”.
It was just the third ATP Masters 1000 final in history to feature two unseeded players.
“I don’t even understand why I’m sitting here right now,” the 26-year-old Vacherot said at the winner’s press conference.
“It’s crazy. I think I’m going to start realising in the next few days, but right now, I just want to enjoy the moment.”
Vacherot landed in Shanghai on a “little bit of a gamble”.
He was on the alternate list for the tournament, meaning he wasn’t even certain to take part and only found out the day before the qualifying rounds that he would play.
The performance that followed will propel the Monegasque from 204 to 40 in the rankings, according to the ATP website a situation that was “surreal”, said Vacherot.
On their way to the final, Rinderknech took out world number three Alexander Zverev and former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
Vacherot ended 24-time Grand slam champion Novak Djokovic’s chances of a fifth Shanghai title in the semi-finals as well as defeating world number 11 Holger Rune.
Vacherot admitted having to face his cousin in the final was “not easy... to deal with”.
Rinderknech broke Vacherot’s serve with a backhand in the third game and it was enough for the 30-year-old to claim the opening set.
Watched on by Vacherot’s idol Roger Federer, neither player was able to make headway early in the second.
Gauff beats Pegula
Coco Gauff overcame Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to clinch the third WTA 1000 title of her career in an all-American final at the Wuhan Open.
The third-seeded Gauff secured the trophy without dropping a set after a 1hr 42min battle in the central Chinese city.
In the first final between the former doubles partners, Gauff erased multiple deficits in the second set to improve her head-to-head record against Pegula to 3-4.
The 21-year-old in the process became the first player in the Open Era to win her first nine hard-court finals.
The pair had contrasting routes to the final with Gauff breezing dropping a mere 16 games while Pegula battled through three-setters in all eight of her previous matches.
Gauff won the first six points of the match and it set the tone for what was to come, as she leapt to a 3-0 advantage.
Pegula recovered from her slow start and went on the attack in game seven, breaking with a fierce backhand winner that helped her get back on level terms at 4-4.
It looked like the sixth seed had swung the momentum her way but Gauff found a tiny opening two games later and broke to secure the opening set in 47 minutes.
Pegula had come back from 2-5 down in her deciding set against world number one Aryna Sabalenka the day before and was more than ready for another fightback.
Gauff has been reworking her serve with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan since the end of August.
And while her numbers have improved since she added him to her team, the shot remains susceptible to ebbs and flows during stressful situations.
The world number three double-faulted six times, allowing Pegula to break her twice for a 3-0 lead, then steadied the ship by getting both breaks back to draw level.
There was another exchange of breaks, Pegula inching ahead with a cunning drop shot and Gauff pegging her back thanks to winning 10 consecutive points.
Shortly after, Gauff raised her arms in celebration as a Pegula volley sailed wide on match point.
Agence France-Presse