Rinderknech and Vacherot Reach ATP Masters 1000 Quarter-finals Together

SHANGHAI, China — Cousins Arthur Rinderknech of France and Valentin Vacherot of Monaco both advanced to the quarter-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, marking a career milestone for each player. This is the first time they have reached this stage in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Rinderknech, 28, made headlines Wednesday after defeating his higher-ranked opponent 6-3, 7-5 in the third round. “I can’t complain, it’s great,” Rinderknech said. “It’s reuniting the family together, at least online, having some fun. Everybody’s watching each other. So it’s really cool.”

Vacherot, 26, also found success, defeating his opponent in three sets the previous night. His coach, half-brother Hugo Balleret, mentioned the excitement from their families, saying, “There are 20, 25 people in the WhatsApp group. Everybody loves tennis and follows each other.”

Rinderknech’s recent performance has been notable, pulling off a 6-3 record against Top 20 players since June after previously struggling with a 0-16 record earlier this season. He expressed satisfaction with his serve during his latest match, saying, “I came out a bit on fire today and it was a good match.”

Meanwhile, Vacherot, ranked No. 204, made history as the first player from Monaco to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. He has shown significant improvement in his ranking, moving from No. 204 to No. 130 following impressive matches this week. “I don’t think I could realize what I was doing this whole week,” Vacherot shared after his fourth-round victory. “Generally I was happy this whole week, but this one is unbelievable, so much emotions.”

Both players previously shared time as college teammates at Texas A&M University, which Rinderknech remarked made their current success even more special. “We spent so many days doing many things and having a lot of fun,” he recalled. With their families cheering them on from afar, both Rinderknech and Vacherot look ahead to the quarter-finals and the possibility of continuing their remarkable runs at the tournament.