SHANGHAI — Valentin Bachelot defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknek 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday at the Shanghai Masters to claim his first career title after an incredible run from the qualifying round.
Vacherot, ranked 204th in the world, is an unheralded 26-year-old who is the lowest-ranked tournament winner in ATP Masters 1000 history and the first from the tiny principality of Monaco.
This was also a great performance.
He dominated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, setting up a final against 30-year-old Rinderknecke, who defeated four-time major finalist and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in his own notable semifinal.
Bashro showed off his serving virtuosity in the third set, scoring 15 straight points with three consecutive love holds, but ultimately lost the point on an unforced error in the eighth game.
Rinderknek, down 15-40 and trying to stay in the match, saved one match point, but Bachelot’s misfoot led to another powerful forehand winner to seal the victory.
He put his hands on his face in disbelief, then went to the edge of the net to hug his cousin, then rushed to the team box and shared a long hug with his half-brother and coach Benjamin Barrére, a former tennis player from Monaco.
The highlight of Valeret’s career was losing to tennis great Roger Federer in the early rounds of the 2006 Monte Carlo Masters.
Nineteen years later, Federer watched in the crowd in Shanghai as Rinderkneck clinched the first set with an ace.
Bashro secured an early break in the decider, but missed four break point opportunities in the fifth game as Rinderknek earned a reprieve. The Frenchman immediately took a three-minute medical time-out and received massage treatment on his back and left shoulder.
But nothing could stop his cousin.
The two have never faced each other on a Pro Tour before, with Rindernecke winning their only meeting at the 2018 Futures Tournament.
