World number 204 Vacherot beats cousin Rinderknech to win Shanghai Masters

World number 204 Valentin Vacherot on Sunday beat his cousin Arthur Rinderknech to win the Shanghai Masters.  

Qualifier Vacherot, the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist in history, won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The all-family final between the 54th-ranked Frenchman Rinderknech and 204th-ranked Vacherot, from Monaco, is one of the tournament’s unlikeliest endings to date—the latter’s coach and half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, described it as a “fairytale”.

It was just the third ATP Masters 1000 final in history to feature two unseeded players.

Elder cousin Rinderknech went ahead first, breaking with a backhand in the third game after three unforced errors from Vacherot.

That was enough for the 30-year-old to claim the set in an otherwise well-matched duel.

Watched on by Roger Federer, the second set continued in much the same vein, with neither player able to make headway early on.

Rinderknech faced a break point in the eighth game and saved with an ace, but failed to convert a subsequent advantage to hold.

He found himself on the brink again after an unforced error when he hit the ball into the net, and Vacherot did not miss his chance this time to force a decider.  

The third set went off with a bang, with Vacherot taking his cousin to break point almost immediately to snatch the first game.

The 26-year-old Vacherot looked increasingly dangerous as Rinderknech, seemingly flagging in the humidity, scrambled to save multiple break points in both the third and fifth games.

The Frenchman received treatment on his back after the fifth game, having almost been broken four times.

The partial revival that followed made for some tense rallies that energised the crowd, but Vacherot broke again in the ninth game to seal the title, doubling over in disbelief.