Vacherot's family affair rounds off his 'unreal' triumph

Valentin Vacherot closed out one of the most stunning big tournament runs in the history of professional tennis, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title as he roared back from a set down to defeat his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and triumph at the Shanghai Masters.

- Tumaini Carayol

There is little precedent for so many of Vacherot's achievements over the past two weeks. At No 204, the 26-year-old had only narrowly entered the qualifying draw, where he was the second-lowest ranked direct entrant, following a number of late injury withdrawals. He is the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 title in the 35-year history of the format and the first Monégasque player to win any ATP title.

"It's unreal what just happened," Vacherot said. "It's just crazy. I'm just so happy about my performance these past few weeks. I just want to thank everyone who put a brick into my career since the beginning. Sharing this [with Arthur] was tough, there has to be one loser. But I think there are two winners today, one family that won and I think for the sport of tennis, this story is unreal."