Vachero caused an upset in the Shanghai semifinals by defeating Djokovic, making ATP Masters history.

11/10/2025 22:50:00 PANDATV

Qualifier Vachero became the lowest-ranked player to reach an ATP1000 Masters final.

He shocked the tennis world by beating Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals to advance to the Rolex Shanghai Masters final. This result exceeded many expectations. He is the lowest-ranked finalist in ATP Masters 1000 events since 1990.

At the moment he won the final point, he was probably still in disbelief, unable to fully grasp what had just happened—he had defeated the tennis legend Djokovic!

Throughout the match, Vachero remained calm and composed, expertly exploiting Djokovic’s physical struggles. Djokovic had to receive treatment twice for lower back pain in the first set.

In what is the biggest victory of his career, Vachero faced world No. 5 Djokovic and recorded a 78% first-serve points won rate (28 out of 36). The 26-year-old initially entered Shanghai as a qualifier replacement, and now he will face his cousin Arthur Rinderknech on Sunday for the championship trophy.

Previously, Vachero defeated 10th seed Rune in the quarterfinals, guaranteeing his first entry into the ATP top 100 on Monday. Thanks to his outstanding performance at the Shanghai Masters, he jumped 146 places to No. 58 in the PIF ATP live rankings. His previous career-high ranking was No. 110 last June. A former Texas A&M collegiate player, he is the sixth player this century to reach an ATP Tour final on his first attempt and simultaneously make it to an ATP Masters 1000 final, the first since Davidovich Fokina at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. This start bypasses ATP250 and ATP500 level tournaments.

In a post-match interview, Vachero said:

“I still haven’t fully realized what happened, so I can’t put it into words—it’s absolutely crazy. First of all, playing against Novak at the net was an incredible experience. I think there’s still so much I can learn from this match and from him. Even for myself, there are many takeaways worth keeping.”

“That 1 hour and 40 minutes was pure joy, even though probably few wanted me to win. He is highly respected here and has won four titles. When they announced his many achievements, I was a bit dazed, but it was truly an unbelievable experience. Now I’ll probably enjoy tonight’s victory and think about the final tomorrow.”

In reality, he barely had time to think, as he headed straight to watch his cousin Rinderknech’s semifinal match…

In their first meeting, Vachero seemed completely unaffected by nerves, even though the Serbian across the net was struggling physically. He hit 23 winners compared to Djokovic’s 9; when facing break points in the last game, he held his nerve to close out the match. Afterward, the two embraced at the net, with Djokovic offering encouragement.

Despite Djokovic’s efforts to fight back while dealing with physical discomfort, trying to wear down Vachero, the former world No. 1 could not add another memorable win this tournament—he struggled in Shanghai’s humid conditions. At 3-4 in the first set, Djokovic received treatment for lower back pain and was broken in the next game, moving slowly on court.

However, Vachero’s job was far from over. When Djokovic’s movement improved in the second set, the Monaco player stayed steady and secured the victory with solid baseline play on both wings, breaking serve in the ninth game to seal the match.

Shortly after this match, Vachero’s cousin battled through three sets to defeat Medvedev in the other semifinal and also reached the final! The “cousins’ story” at the Shanghai Masters continues. After Rinderknech’s semifinal win, Vachero shyly entered the court and embraced his cousin warmly, tears of joy in his eyes.