SHANGHAI: Monegasque Valentin Vacherot completed a fairytale run at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, rallying from a set down to defeat his cousin, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, 4-6 6-3 6-3 in the final and secure his first ATP 1000 title.
The 26-year-old’s victory made him the first player from Monaco to win an ATP singles title and set a record as the lowest-ranked player to triumph at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
The victorious Vacherot was overwhelmed with emotion, before sharing a heartfelt embrace with his older cousin Rinderknech, 30.
Vacherot’s remarkable run means he will break into the ATP top 100 for the first time, while Rinderknech, ranked 54th, is set to rise into the top 40 when the latest rankings are released on Monday.
“I mean, I’m just all like, crying, it’s just, it’s unreal what just happened. I have no idea what’s happening right now, I’m not in a dream, it’s just crazy. I’m just so happy of my performance these past two weeks...,” Vacherot said.
“I think there’s just two winners today, one family that won, and I think for the sport of tennis, this story is just unreal.
“I wish there could be two winners, but unfortunately there’s only one, and for myself, I’m really happy that it’s me.”
The cousins had given fans plenty to cheer about in the previous round – Vacherot stunning record 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Rinderknech overcoming 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev.
With Swiss maestro Roger Federer watching from the stands, Rinderknech broke first to lead 2-1 in the opening set, capitalizing on a flurry of unforced errors from Vacherot.
The momentum continued to flow Rinderknech’s way as he covered the court with impressive athleticism, racing to a 3-1 lead before extending it to 4-2.
Vacherot mounted a spirited fightback to narrow the gap to 5-4, but Rinderknech held his nerve to stave off his cousin’s comeback attempt and seal the first set in 41 minutes.
In a tight second set, momentum swung back and forth with the duo locked at 3-3 before Vacherot crunched a backhand winner to break Rinderknech and surge ahead 5-3, keeping his cool to force a decider.
Vacherot came alive in the third set, breaking early to establish a 2-0 lead. Although Rinderknech reduced the deficit to 3-2, he required a medical timeout to treat his back. Vacherot pressed on, sealing victory with a forehand winner down the line.
“That it’s the guy that I’ve been training with in Texas A&M (University), that I’ve been growing up with on vacation and everything,” Vacherot said.
“It was really tough, he did a better job than me in the first set … And yeah, just find a way to turn that around and then make the match a little bit myself toward the end.”
Vacherot beats cousin Rinderknech to clinch Shanghai Masters title
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Vacherot beats cousin Rinderknech to clinch Shanghai Masters title
- The 26-year-old’s victory made him the first player from Monaco to win an ATP singles title
- Vacherot’s remarkable run means he will break into the ATP top 100 for the first time
Olympic favorite Malinin pulls off stunning GP Final win
- Short program winner Yuma Kagiyama finished second overall on 302.41
- Malinin becomes the first skater to land seven quads in competition and will head to the Milan-Cortina Games in February as clear favorite in his Olympic debut
NAGOYA: Ilia Malinin showed why he is red-hot favorite for Olympic gold by winning the Grand Prix Final with a world-record free skate score after landing an incredible seven quads.
The American “Quad God” lived up to his nickname, coming from third place after a disappointing short program to claim the title in Nagoya with an emphatic 332.29 points.
Short program winner Yuma Kagiyama finished second overall on 302.41, followed by Japanese countryman Shun Sato on 292.08.
Malinin becomes the first skater to land seven quads in competition and will head to the Milan-Cortina Games in February as clear favorite in his Olympic debut.
“It gives me a lot of confidence that I’m able to go out there and get this done,” said the 21-year-old.
“I know that right now I wasn’t at 100 percent, so being able to do this at what energy and what percent I am now gives me a lot of confidence for the future.
“I will take the next few months leading up to the Olympics trying to perfect everything,” he added.
Malinin botched his signature quad axel in his short program when he unleashed it for the first time this season on Thursday.
He nailed the ultra-risky move in style in his free skate and kept the fireworks going for the rest of his routine.
His free skate score of 238.24 was almost 10 points more than his old world record, set in his previous competition at Skate Canada last month.
Malinin said he was “thinking of trying to water it down to play it safe but then I remembered why I came to the Grand Prix Final.”
“I decided that I wanted to go full out and give myself a foundation of what it would look like,” he said.
“I’m really satisfied with my performance and I know that I’m able to get these jumps under pressure.”
Kagiyama, the 2022 Beijing Olympics silver medallist, had a job on his hands to beat Malinin even with his short program lead.
He made mistakes toward the end of his routine and placed fourth in the free skate.
- Chock, Bates win ice dance -
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance title.
The husband-and-wife team claimed the Grand Prix Final title for the third straight year, racking up 220.42 points to finish ahead of France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron on 214.25.
Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third on 208.81.
“It feels like a sprint to get to the Grand Prix Final and then all of a sudden you have a month or two before we’ll meet again in Milan,” said Bates.
“It really is the first half of the season and then there’s a lot of progress that can be made in the next few months, which is something that we’re looking forward to.”
