It was a tournament in which Alexander Zverev accused organizers of slowing down court speeds to get Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to the endgame. However, the Shanghai Masters will be remembered for bringing two unheralded family members together in the final. On Sunday, Valentin Vacherot, previously ranked 204, beat world No. 54 and his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Rinderknech and Vacherot were the first family members to meet in a men’s main tour final for 34 years. Back then, it was John and Patrick McEnroe facing each other at the Volvo Chicago Open. That match was eerily similar in scoreline and momentum as John lost the opening set before coming back to win the next two to claim his 77th and final ATP title. ”Every emotion you can imagine is there, every single one,” said the seven-time singles major champion as he beat his kid brother. There was even a hug at the net from Super Mac.
Vacherot and Rinderknech’s post-match hug must have been the longest in tennis history, and they both had trouble controlling their emotions at the end of this extraordinary fortnight. “It was just some unreal moments for both of us, for our family. Unfortunately, there was one winner. But our family won, and the sport of tennis won as well, because the story we just wrote is amazing. The emotions were just everywhere after the match,” said Vacherot, who will jump 164 places to break into the new ATP top 40 after the Monday reset.
The Shanghai experience was memorable for the pain and suffering of Sinner, who had to be helped off the court after retiring in the last 32, and Novak Djokovic, who was medically compromised by a hip injury and vomited during several matches. The stars of the game were exhausted and the finalists had to change their drenched shirts for the finale.
This was a wonderful battle that took place in a temporary reality beyond the Alcaraz and Sinner empire. The world No. 1 wasn’t competing after picking up an ankle injury on his way to the Japan Open title.
Vacherot had only registered one victory on the main ATP tour beforehand and had to play nine matches totaling 23 sets to become the most unlikely champion. He screamed out for joy after a thunderous backhand squared the match. Rinderknech had to hang on for dear life in the decider, saving numerous break points, before giving way to his more energized relative.
That air of disbelief will resonate with the Monaco man for some time. He wasn’t even on the original qualifying list, but travelled to Shanghai anyway and benefited from two late withdrawals. The 26-year-old was also two points from defeat against Canada’s Liam Draxl in the second qualifying round.
He beat Holger Rune in the last eight and Djokovic in he semifinals. Vacherot takes away a cool $1.12 million, almost double his previous career earnings. The French Riviera resident has certainly explored life’s rich tapestry, having mainly played on the Challenger Tour, where his last win accrued just over $18,000 on finals day.
When the two cousins were sitting next to each other after the match, it wasn’t quite as emotional as Rafa and Roger at the O2, but there was something pure about the reactions of both. This was a raw family reality show played out for real, and the winner couldn’t quite get his head around it. Rinderknech had the consolation of moving up to world No.28.
It’s been quite a momentous month for men’s tennis as the game shapes up for 2026. Sinner and Alcaraz have been kept apart since the Spaniard’s superb U.S. Open final victory. There is still time for one last hurrah in Europe at either the Paris Masters or the ATP Finals in Turin when normal service surely resumes.
In the meantime, two cousins gave the perfect ending to the Asian Swing.
