Valentin Vacherot, speech in tears, after getting the title in Shanghai. He defeated his cousin in the final

Valentin Vacherot hit his career and wrote history in tennis. The player from Monaco, who ranked 204th, achieved a huge performance. He won the Shanghai Masters, although he started the qualifying tournament.

Valentin Vacherot won the title at Shanghai Photo/Getty Images

In the final, the 26-year-old athlete defeated his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, in a match full of emotions. In the end, Vacherot burst into tears and said that everything seems like a dream: “I can't believe what I did”.

So far, Vacherot's name was almost unknown in the world of tennis, but the success in Shanghai transformed overnight into a real sensation.

Story of story at Shanghai

After passing the qualifications with two heavy matches, won in three sets, the player from Monaco managed an incredible series of victories. One by one, he eliminated Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune and even Novak Djokovic, reaching his career in an ATP final.

So far, Vacherot had not even arrived in an optimal final at an important tournament, so the simple qualification in the last act was already a huge achievement.

But the story did not stop there. In the end, Vacherot was dueling with his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, and imposed 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, completing one of the biggest surprises in world tennis. A result that, as he himself said, did not dare to dream two weeks ago, when it was about to be eliminated in qualifications.

In tears at the award ceremony: “It's unreal!”

“It's just crying. It's unreal what happened. I have no idea what is happening now. I'm not in a dream? It's crazy. I am so happy about my performance of the past two weeks. I want to thank all those who have contributed to my career from the beginning. It is very difficult that there must be a single defeated today.