World No. 204 tennis player causes an upset at the 2025 Shanghai Masters

Valentin Vacherot created a huge surprise at the Shanghai Masters by beating Holger Rune to advance to the semifinals.

Valentin Vacherot stunned everyone at the Shanghai Masters by overcoming Holger Rune to reach the semifinals, becoming the lowest-ranked player to do so in an ATP 1000 event in 26 years.

The Monaco player, currently ranked 204th in the world, defeated the 11th seed Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 after more than two and a half hours of intense play. On his third match point, Vacherot succeeded, making him the first player from Monaco in history to reach the semifinals of an ATP Tour event. After the victory, he collapsed on the court overwhelmed with emotion.

If Novak Djokovic beats Zizou Bergs, Vacherot is likely to face the former world No. 1 in the semifinals.

Both Vacherot and Rune struggled with the harsh hot and humid weather in Shanghai. The 26-year-old even suffered severe blisters on his right foot but fought bravely until the end.

Earlier, Vacherot had eliminated several tough opponents such as Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor, becoming the first qualifier in Shanghai Masters history to reach the semifinals.

Notably, Vacherot might be “reunited” with his cousin Arthur Rinderknech, the French player who is also advancing deep in the tournament and will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals after surprisingly knocking out Alexander Zverev.

According to statistics, Vacherot is the lowest-ranked player to reach the semifinals of an ATP 1000 event since Chris Woodruff (world No. 555) achieved the same at Indian Wells in 1999. This impressive feat also guarantees him a debut in the ATP top 100 — a major milestone in the career of the 26-year-old from Monaco.