Valentin Vacherot defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters semifinal, becoming the lowest-ranked player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final and sparking celebration in Monaco. Jessica Pegula also stunned Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan to set up an all-American final with Coco Gauff.
Vacherot stuns Djokovic and surprises himself
Valentin Vacherot, ranked world No. 204, pulled off a seismic upset on Saturday by defeating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets. The 6-3, 6-4 victory sent the 26-year-old Monegasque into his first ATP Masters 1000 final, a feat he admitted felt surreal.
“To get to play Djokovic already once is unbelievable. To be on the other side of the court, I’m actually really surprised of how I managed it mentally,” Vacherot said.
Despite being broken in the opening game, Vacherot quickly recovered as Djokovic struggled with back issues throughout the match. The Serbian required medical treatment during the first set and was visibly limited in movement.
“We know he’s 38 years old, that it’s so hard. I had so many thoughts in my head, even when I just won the first set. But every time I had little thoughts I was just thinking about the next return or next serve I was going to hit,” Vacherot said.
Monaco celebrates a rare tennis breakthrough
Vacherot’s rise has sparked excitement in Monaco, a country with limited tennis representation. His success has inspired young players and brought pride to the small federation.
“We have a bunch of young kids that train every day and just the videos of seeing them jumping around when I win… What’s in my heart, the most important, is the joy that I bring back home,” he said.
“In singles, I’m the only one in the top 1,000, but then we have two guys in the top 40 in doubles. We’re just such a small federation. Four players at that level is crazy for Monaco. We’re a little family,” he added.
A family affair in Shanghai
Vacherot left the court quickly after his win to watch his cousin Arthur Rinderknech face Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal. Rinderknech completed the family storyline by winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, setting up an all-cousin final.
“As I said already, our family (WhatsApp) group is just a bit out of control these days,” Vacherot joked.
Novak Djokovic in 2025
Now ranked no.5, Djokovic played his last match on the 11th
of October when he was overcome by world no.204 Valentin Vacherot 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in Shanghai (draw).This season Novak has achieved a composed 35-11 win-loss record. Djokovic clinched 1 title in Geneva. Novak was the finalist in Miami.
ATP Shanghai - Valentin Vacherot's projected path
Vacherot in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2025
Now ranked no.204, the Monegasque has achieved an overall 41-22 match record in 2025. The Monegasque is now competing in Shanghai where he overcame the world no.113 Nishesh Basavareddy 6-7(7) 6-4 6-2, the world no.119 Liam Draxl 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4, the world no.82 Laslo Djere 6-3 6-4, the world no.17 Alexander Bublik 3-6 6-3 6-4, the world no.23 Tomas Machac 6-0 3-1 ret., the world no.31 Tallon Griekspoor 4-6 7-6(1) 6-4, the world no.11 Holger Rune 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 and the world no.5 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4.
Valentin Vacherot will face the world no.54 Arthur Rinderknech in the final. The head to head is 1-0 for Rinderknech.
Valentin got to the final in the Francavilla Challenger.
Novak Djokovic and Valentin Vacherot clashed against each other only on 1 occasion. Their current head to head is 1-0 for Vacherot.