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As soon as Arthur Rinderknecht hits the final ace to book his place Shanghai Masters In the semi-finals, the Frenchman raised a finger and pointed towards his coaching box. Rinderknecht made eye contact with his cousin, Valentin Vacherot, who had celebrated in exactly the same way the day before. A wide smile spread across Rinderknecht’s face as he joined his cousin in the semi-finals in Shanghai and ignited family group conversations at home.
The final weeks of tennis season can often feel stressful, Especially this week in Shanghai Because the tired players have struggled not only with their tired bodies and minds but also with the intense heat and humidity. But amid the general weariness, an amazing story has emerged, involving 30-year-old journeyman Rinderknecht and his younger cousin Vacherot, a history-making 26-year-old Monegasque who began the week as an alternate in qualifying and is ranked outside the world top 200.
Now, They will meet in the final on SundayInspired by the stated commitment to “Follow Val”, Rinderknecht supports Vachérot World number 11 player Holger Rune had to face a tremendous upset. Defeating US Open semi-finalist Félix Auger-Aliassime. Wachrot defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets in Saturday’s first semi-final – leaving the court signing “Allez Arthur” on camera – before taking on Rinderknecht and then defeating Daniil Medvedev in three sets.
Of the two cousins, Vacherot’s reach to the final has been the biggest surprise. After missing most of the second half of last season due to a right shoulder injury, Vacherot has spent the 2025 season entering Challenger events – apart from his home tournament in Monaco, where he received a wildcard. Since his ranking was not high enough to guarantee a spot in Shanghai qualifying, Wachtrot took the gamble of going to China. It bore fruit. Enough players dropped out before the deadline to allow Vacherot to enter qualifying as a substitute.
He never looked back, winning eight matches and defeating five consecutive seeded players Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machak, Talon Grixpur, Rune and Djokovic to become the second lowest-ranked player to reach the semi-finals in ATP Masters history. Vacherot, who is coached by his half-brother Benjamin Balleret, is also the first player representing Monaco to reach an ATP Tour final. The princely state is home to many top players but has no history of producing them.
“I didn’t come as a qualifier, I came as a substitute. I wasn’t even sure I would play qualifying,” Vacherot said after her three-set win over Roon. The 26-year-old player is now set to enter the world top 100 for the first time. “It’s unbelievable to me. I’m so happy and living the dream.”
Djokovic knows Vacherot’s coach Balleret, himself a former player who reached world No. 204 while training and living in Monaco. “Amazing story for him,” Djokovic said before the semifinals.
So, too, for older cousin Rinderknecht, whose big success came after the age of 30 but months of strong form and First round win over Alexander Zverev At Wimbledon. Rinderknecht also defeated world number three Zverev in Shanghai and, after defeating Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals, now has seven wins against top-20 opponents since June, more than he had in his entire career up to that point. Rinderknecht will now reach a career high of at least 37 thanks to his first Masters final.
But the magic of Rinderknecht and Wachtrot is that their stories are interconnected. The cousins met each other while in college at Texas A&M University; They were teammates for two and a half years between 2016 and 2018. Now, after being on tour for years, they have managed to deliver their biggest results yet, while others have a front row view.
“I followed my cousin,” Rinderknecht said, pointing to Vacherot. “He was going through the emotions on Thursday and I’m trying to follow him and fight him and do the same as him. The whole family is following him from home. We’re in our own little world here. It’s been incredible.”