Explained: Valentin Vacherot's road to insane Shanghai Open win

Overview

• Valentin Vacherot overcame Nishesh Basavareddy and Liam Draxl in the Qualifying round of the Shanghai Open 2025
• The emerging star beat the likes of Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor in his following matches
• In his last three matches, Vacherot beat Holger Rune, Novak Djokovic, and his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, to win the title

Valentin Vacherot had arguably the craziest journey for an ATP star to win a title. At the Shanghai Open 2025, the ATP World No.204 became the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP Men's Singles title. His biggest win of the tour was against Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, along with beating Holger Rune in the Quarterfinal.

Vacherot's campaign started with a win over Nishesh Basavareddy in his first Qualifier match. He later faced Liam Draxl in his second Qualifying match. After beating both of them, Vacherot qualified for the Main Round. His first challenge was Laslo Djere, which he overcame with the flying colors to proceed to the second round.

Also Read: After beating Novak Djokovic in semis, Valentin Vacherot wins Shanghai Open 2025

Vacherot had the big challenge of facing Alexander Bublik, the 14th seeded player, in his second round match. The emerging star was up for the challenge and beat the Kazakhstan star to proceed further. Another massive challenge awaited Vacherot, as he faced the 20th seed, Tomas Machac, and beat him in the third round.

Valentin Vacherot's road to insane Shanghai Open win explained

Valentin registered a win over Tallon Griekspoor, the 27th seeded star to enter the Quarterfinal. His big match opponent was Holger Rune, who was seeded 10th. Vacherot pulled off the biggest win of his career till then to register a matchup with Novak Djokovic himself.

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To everyone's surprise, Vacherot absolutely hammered Djokovic for fun in the semifinal. He stormed into the final by upsetting the 4th seeded star. In the final, he faced Arthur Rinderknech, his cousin. Vacherot won the match to become the lowest-ranked player to ever win an ATP Men's Singles Title.