Lindgren-Knesy and Vasherro's Journey from College Tennis to the Shanghai Final – Coach Denton's Recollections

In 2018, Texas A&M's men's tennis squad fell just short with a 4-3 loss to Wake Forest University in the NCAA semifinals, marking a painful defeat. Arthur Lindgren-Knesy represented the school as the No. 2 singles player, and his cousin Valentin Vasherro played at No. 4 singles. On that difficult day, their matches were on adjacent courts, and that loss also marked the end of Lindgren-Knesy's illustrious college tennis career.

Head Coach Twice Finalist at the Australian OpenSteve Denton(Steve Denton) still recalls what Lindgren-Knesy told him after the loss. Denton shared in an interview with the ATP Tour website:

“When Arthur was preparing to turn professional, I remember him saying to me, ‘Steve, please take care of my cousin as you take care of me.’ I replied, ‘Of course, I will.’”

Denton has maintained contact with the two cousins. On Sunday, they will face each other in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, competing for the championship of the Shanghai ATP1000 event. In the semifinals, each defeated a former ATP world No. 1—Lindgren-Knesy ousted Daniil Medvedev, while Vasherro beat Novak Djokovic.

“For these two, it’s truly a dream come true,” Denton said. “Clearly, they have taken an uncommon path. Unless you are a prodigy like Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, most players must endure many challenges to reach this level.”

This college coach often wakes up in the middle of the night to watch his former players compete in China. For Denton, this is an exciting experience. He had planned to travel to Shanghai to see the final, but once these two former Texas A&M players reached the final, there were no flights arriving on time.

“Last night when I went to bed, I never expected Valentin to beat Novak,” Denton said. Arthur has been in great form recently and very confident, but Medvedev is still a former world No. 1. Arthur winning that match and then meeting his cousin in the final is truly an incredible story.”

Back when Lindgren-Knesy was still a junior player, Denton traveled to France to scout three or four players and assess recruitment possibilities. After watching Arthur for just two minutes, the former pro—who reached No. 12 in singles and No. 2 in doubles—knew exactly who he wanted to recruit.

When Lindgren-Knesy first arrived on the Texas A&M campus, he was ineligible to compete for a year. The character he showed during that year left a deep impression on this experienced coach.

“He had to watch his teammates play while feeling frustrated inside,” Denton said. “I believe that experience helped him in many ways and shaped him into a selfless leader.”

In the individual sport of tennis, Lindgren-Knesy always put the team first. Fast forward to Saturday during the semifinal against Medvedev, he lost the first set. His career-best run seemed about to end against the 2019 Shanghai Masters champion. At that moment, he wasn’t solely focused on winning but tried to wear down Medvedev’s stamina to make him less formidable in Sunday’s final against his cousin.

“That’s just who he is. He’s always been a team player on our squad,” Denton said. “He was competing with a team mindset, thinking, ‘If I can’t win, maybe I can exhaust Medvedev and give Val (Valentin’s nickname) a better chance.’ Both of them think this way; they’re humble, team-oriented, and obviously value family above all.”

This was also a key reason Vasherro ultimately chose to join Texas A&M, even though Denton initially didn’t know Lindgren-Knesy had a cousin, let alone that he was a talented tennis player himself.

“After the first year, I had a good relationship with Arthur, and he really liked it here. I think he probably felt, ‘This is a good place for my cousin, so I need to look out for him and make sure he comes here,’” Denton said. “And that’s exactly how things unfolded.”

The two played side by side for two seasons on the college court, helping the team reach its best-ever level. Compared to the relatively reserved Vasherro, Lindgren-Knesy was more confident and outgoing. Yet both became outstanding leaders in their own way. Watching their breakthrough progress from afar is especially moving.

“I promised young players and their families that I would take care of them and help them transition to the professional tour,” Denton said. “So, to keep that promise, I’ve been following their careers from the start, and I’m always happy to support them whenever they need me.”

Although Denton cannot be in Shanghai, he is ready to watch his protégés compete in the final on TV early Sunday morning in Texas. This marks only the second time since the ATP1000 series began in 1990 that two former college players have met in a final of this level — the first being the 1993 Canadian Open final where Mikael Pernfors of Georgia defeated Todd Martin of Northwestern.

There are many thrilling stories in tennis, but this one is among the best of the year. In Shanghai, the world’s magic city, this story brings a special warmth. After enduring the October “Shanghai heatwave,” these two finalists have written a new chapter in the Masters tournament history with their tennis journey. At the same time, they prove to the global tennis community that college tennis is a viable pathway to the professional tour.

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