Holy moley! ATP tennis got a dose of unexpected drama at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Saturday. With Daniil Medvedev seething, Arthur Rinderknech earned the win and will face his cousin Valentin Vacherot in the Masters 1000 final tomorrow.
Two cousins enjoying the best week of their career.
Beating multiple stars of the game.
And now they’ll meet for the #RolexShanghaiMasters title.
A script you couldn’t write ✍️ pic.twitter.com/4m1nTCPxDx
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 11, 2025
Neither player has been in this position before, and for both to get there at the same tournament is quite unbelievable. At a tournament where players traditionally watch other matches, Vacherot came on to the court and hugged his cousin after his three-set win over Medvedev.
Valentin Vacherot hugs his cousin Arthur Rinderknech after he beat Medvedev to reach the Shanghai final.
Right after the biggest win of his life, he stayed to watch Arthur achieve the biggest moment of his own life.
Cousins ready to face each other in their first Masters 1000… pic.twitter.com/ZEfYleUVcV
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 11, 2025
Rinderknech came out tight, some speculated he was thinking about Vacherot already getting the big win over Novak Djokovic. He regained his composure, worked exceedingly hard to beat Medvedev, and fell face down to the ground in jubilation after winning match point.
His postmatch note written on the camera says it all. “Now what?”
We do not know how the two will react taking the court together as opponents in the biggest final of either of their careers. Vacherot was an alternate qualifier so it was never clear he was going to get an opportunity to play. He also nearly lost in the first round of qualifying.
Shanghai Qualifying update:
OUT: Nardi
IN: Vacherot
Next: Zhukayev— Other List Updates (@OtherLists) September 26, 2025
Past experience shows us that Venus and Serena Williams played nervously against each other in these situations.
Just when the Asian swing seems to feel like it is lagging, the Rolex Shanghai Masters takes a dramatic turn, and the Wuhan Open produces an equally unpredictable result with Jessica Pegula defeating the previous unbeaten Aryna Sabalenka.
