Shanghai Masters champ Valentin Vacherot made impossible prediction about his own success before winning $1.1 million: All you need to know

Valentin Vacherot had an incredible fairytale run at the 2025 Shanghai Masters, one to be written in the history books. In fact, he even made an unbelievable prediction about his campaign just before he pocketed a check of more than $1 million after emerging as the winner.

Vacherot, ranked World No. 204 when he arrived in Shanghai, was chasing his maiden ATP Tour title. His campaign began in the qualifying rounds, where he defeated Nishesh Basavareddy in the quarterfinals and Liam Draxl to reach the main draw.

The Monégasque then went on a stunning run, toppling No. 14 seed Alexander Bublik, 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor, 10th seed Holger Rune, and fourth seed Novak Djokovic, while advancing past 20th seed Tomas Machac via walkover. The final turned into a family showdown as he faced his cousin Arthur Rinderknech and triumphed 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday, October 12, to lift the ATP Masters 1000 trophy.

Before beginning his campaign in Shanghai, Valentin Vacherot made what seemed like an impossible prediction. He texted a friend on Instagram, saying he planned to take his chances in the qualifying rounds seriously because he believed that a Cinderella run could happen any day.

"Yea I know. I'm gonna go take my chance in Shanghai Q's because a sick run can come any second," his text reads.

Valentin Vacherot has now doubled his career prize money in just two weeks. He had earned $594,077 before the tournament but added $1,124,380 in Shanghai. His ranking will also see a massive jump as he is set to become World No. 40 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

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Valentin Vacherot after winning Shanghai Masters 2025: "It is unreal what just happened...it is just crazy"

Valentin Vacherot pictured at the 2025 Shanghai Masters | Image Source: Getty

Valentin Vacherot had plenty to say after winning the 2025 Shanghai Masters, and understandably so. Not only was it his first-ever title, but he also made history as the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion since 1990.

During his victory speech, Vacherot admitted that he was struggling to comprehend the reality of his win, describing it as almost surreal, adding:

"It is unreal what just happened. I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy. I am just so happy with my performances the past two weeks. I just want to thank everyone who has helped with my career since the beginning."

He then turned his attention to his cousin Arthur Rinderknech, saying that there were no losers in their match, only two winners, as the trophy stayed in the family:

"There has to be one loser but I think there is two winners today, one family that won. And I think for the sport of tennis, the story is unreal."

Next, Valentin Vacherot is scheduled to compete at a Challenger 100 event in Seoul, running from October 27 to November 2. It is the first tournament of the Challenger swing in Korea, featuring $160,000 in prize money.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh