QualifierValentin Vasherrohas made a remarkable run at the Shanghai Masters, becoming one of the highlights of this year’s competition. He will now take on tennis icon Djokovic, competing for a place in the final.

Before the Shanghai Masters started, Vasherro was ranked just 204th globally. From the qualifying rounds, he was seen as a potential upset candidate but went on to beat two seeded players in qualifying to secure his spot in the main draw.

In the main draw, he then defeated world No. 82 Jere, 14th seed Bublik, 20th seed Machac, and 27th seed Talon, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals. The 26-year-old’s peak performance continued as he stunned 10th seed (world No. 11) Rune with a 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory, reaching the semifinals for the first time in his career.

Vasherro’s Milestone Moment

This breakthrough made the Monaco player set several records: he is the first player from Monaco to reach the ATP Masters 1000 semifinals; additionally, since 1990, he is the second-lowest ranked player to reach the semifinals at an ATP1000 event—only behind Chris Woodruff, who was ranked 550th at the 1999 Indian Wells Masters.

Currently, Vasherro aims to push further into the final, but he faces the obstacle of 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who previously won in straight sets against Zizou Bergs.

Vasherro’s rise has amazed the tennis world, and Djokovic expressed happiness for the 26-year-old Monaco newcomer. He said:

“I have been following him for the past few years. Before this tournament, he was ranked outside the top 200. He has worked hard on the tour for a long time, and achieving this for Monaco is arguably the biggest breakthrough in the country’s tennis history.”

“It’s incredible, and everyone in Monaco is excited about it. Keep in mind, Monaco hosts a spectacular and influential top-tier event in our sport (referring to the Monte-Carlo Masters).”

“So I’m happy for him and his team. His coach Benjamin Balleret is someone I’ve known for many years in Monaco, as I have lived there for 15 years and trained at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.”

Djokovic also mentioned:

Vasherro has improved a lot. We always knew he had great potential: a strong serve, solid playing style, and good physical stature. His style is similar to Arthur (Lindgren, Vasherro’s cousin), and you can tell they have a close relationship. Especially his serve reminds me a lot of Arthur’s. Seeing their chemistry and mutual support is wonderful—Arthur has been watching all his matches live.

Djokovic concluded: “This is undoubtedly a historic achievement for him. I’m really looking forward to playing against him and hope to win this match.”

After this tournament, Vasherro’s world ranking will soar by 112 spots, entering the top 100 for the first time in his career, reaching a new high of No. 92.Initially, he didn’t even have direct entry into the qualifiers—he was only 22nd on the alternate list,gaining his spot due to last-minute withdrawals. Ultimately, he went from being a “last-minute alternate qualifier” to reaching the semifinals.

Vasherro’s story sends a message to players who withdraw: don’t give up on the China season so easily! Not everyone is Alcaraz! [laughs]

Vasherro revealed:

“I found out about my participation about 36 hours before the qualifiers started. It was probably the night before, not the night right before the match but a day earlier. So the time was really short. I remember when I landed, I was still ninth on the alternate list (not in).”

He added:

I arrived Thursday night, still ninth on the alternate list. But I knew I had a good chance because the Shanghai Masters is the last ATP1000 event of the year. Towards the season’s end, many players avoid risking injury by skipping tournaments, so I expected the alternate list to move up.

I thought, even if I don’t get in, I’d just come to China a week early—I had five challengers lined up after. Now, after this tournament, I can go straight home. It’s kind of funny. I told myself that even if I didn’t make the main draw, I could train with the Chinese team for a week to prepare for upcoming events. Then, the day before the tournament, I found out I could play.

It turned out Shanghai was lucky for Vasherro. Fortune favors those who work tirelessly.

Get ready to watch their match today!

This timing isn’t ideal for Djokovic. But there’s no choice—the bottom half matches are played first, and those players get an extra day of rest compared to the top half. If Djokovic’s match were forced into the evening session, Medvedev might complain nonstop again. [laughs]

The weather forecast shows Shanghai will be 33°C at 4 pm today, dropping to 29°C by 5 pm.

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