World number 204, Monegasque Valentin Vacherot, defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Shanghai Masters final this Saturday (11), becoming the lowest-ranked player to reach the ATP Masters 1000 final since the series was created in 1990.
Vacherot, who qualified, bothered Djokovic with drop shots and aggressive exchanges of blows, and the Serbian, fourth seed, having difficulty turning, requested a medical timeout during both sets.
Novak Djokovic and Valentin Vacherot had a beautiful moment at the net after their match in Shanghai
Novak: “You deserve it. You played unbelievable. Keep it going.”
Valentin: “Such a pleasure to play at least once against you. Don’t retire.” 🥹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter)
At the end of the game, the two talked and the Serb praised his rival. “You deserve it. You played incredibly well. Keep it up,” he said. Valentin then responded to the athlete: “It was a pleasure to play against you at least once. Don’t retire.”
Craziness
“This is crazy… just being on the other side of the court (with Djokovic) was an unbelievable experience,” said Vacherot, who became the first Monaco player to reach the final of an ATP tour in the open era.
he broke Vacherot’s serve in the first game of the match, but the 26-year-old immediately returned the break and took a 4-3 lead when the Serb called his first medical timeout.
Vacherot won the next two games easily to secure the first set, and pitted Djokovic in a 12-minute battle in the first game of the second set, which the 38-year-old managed to win after saving two break points.
A double fault caused Djokovic to lose his serve, while Vacherot took a 5-4 lead, which tilted the set in his favor.
“I want to congratulate Valentin for reaching his first Masters final. Considering the qualifiers, it’s an incredible story. I told him online that he had an incredible tournament, but more than that, his attitude is very good and his game was also incredible,” Djokovic told reporters.
“So it’s all about him. I wish him all the best in the final and may the best player win today.”
