Deja-vu in Paris? Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech one victory away from final rematch in Paris Masters
After the two cousins defied the almost impossible odds to meet in the Shanghai Masters final, Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech have the possibility of a rematch in round two of the Paris Masters.
The pair had only faced once before 2025, and that was in an ITF Futures event, which was won by the Frenchman back in 2018. Seven years on from this, and they have the potential to once again step out on court together to commence their new rivalry.
A variety of records were broken in the recent Shanghai Masters, with a plethora of unexpected events occurring to set up one of the unlikeliest stories on the ATP circuit. Despite being ranked outside of the top 200 and not even being in contention to qualify for the event, Vacherot travelled halfway around the world in case his chance arose. Fortunately, it did, and after winning two tense qualifying fixtures, he fended off anyone coming his way, which included the likes of Alexander Bublik, Tomas Mahac, Holger Rune, and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to set up a final clash with his cousin.
Whilst much higher ranked than Vacherot, Rinderknech had never made it past the third round of a Masters 1000 event. Not only he did that, but similar to the Monegasque he defeated some big names including Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev enroute to the final. While it did not go his way in a closely fought three-set match, he will take consolation that he has broken new ground for himself in the sport. If that final loss is still on his mind, then he may have a chance to dish out some revenge to his younger cousin.
Vacherot and Rinderknech on colliding course once more
While in Shanghai the only possible way of clashing was in the final due to being on separate sides of the draw, the pair now find themselves right next to each other ahead of the culminating Masters 1000 event of the year. The duo are just a win away each from repeating that famous night in China, but it will not be easy.
This is Rinderknech’s fourth Paris Masters, with a third-round appearance his best result in his home event. He will be hoping to make big strides on this, with his first-round opponent coming in the form of Fabian Marozsan. The world number 48 also had a breakout run in Shanghai, this one less impressive. He made it to the quarter-finals in 2023 where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz. Enroute to that last-eight finish, he defeated Rinderknech in the first-round. Since then, he has not made it past the third round and will be motivated to get one over on a home-favourite.
Arthur Rinderknech is set to compete in his home event
Vacherot will travel to Paris to prove to his critics that Shanghai was not a fluke. He came ultimately close to defeating world number four Taylor Fritz in the Swiss Indoors but was just pipped at the end. He has a slightly tougher test than Rinderknech in the form of Lehecka, who is the number one Czech after an impressive run to the US Open quarter-finals. This is still new territory for Vacherot, who will compete in just his fifth Masters 1000 event. He had previously featured in the Monte-Carlo Open from 2023-2025, with Shanghai the first one he was able to qualify for.
Rinderknech’s tie with Marozsan comes first, being played today while Vacherot and Lehecka must wait until tomorrow to get their Paris Masters campaign underway. While we are guaranteed to have a different final from Shanghai, the prospect of the pair facing once more in such a high-stakes match is something the tennis world will be dreaming of.
