Valentin Vaschero is the first tennis player from the Principality of Monaco to win an ATP tournament title, and it's the Shanghai Masters, no less!
He won the final against his cousin, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, after two hours and 14 minutes of play - 4:6, 6:3, 6:3.
It was the debut Masters final for both brothers, and by advancing to the semifinals, Vaschero made history as the lowest-ranked player at that stage of the 1.000-series tournament. He came to Shanghai as the 204th player, waiting for as many as 22 players to retire in order to qualify.
He lost the first set six times during the tournament, and in the quarterfinals against Holger Rune, his brother Rinderkneš, the 54nd player, cheered him on from the stands, who despite having fewer matches, had a tougher schedule in the finals. And less time to rest - less than 20 hours before the finals after a three-set match with Daniil Medvedov.
Rinderknes was the better player in the first set, but then he fell physically, while Vashero found solutions during the second set with a lot of spin in his forehand shots.
After the fifth game of the third set and less than two hours of play, the 30-year-old Rinderkneš had to take a medical timeout. It was then known that the trophy would go to his four-year-old younger brother.
As a consolation, Arthur will be ranked 22nd in the ATP rankings and the number one player in France. Vassereau will move from 204th to 40th in the tennis player rankings tomorrow.
Bonus video:
