Conquering the Shanghai courts! Who else but the ultimate dark horse master, "Vashelro"?

The Shanghai Masters, lasting almost two weeks, wrapped up with a final featuring Vashelro and Lindeknech, who together had the lowest combined entry rankings. They delivered a fierce yet significant family duel. In the end, the lower-ranked younger cousin Vashelro overcame his older cousin Lindeknech, winning the championship in his debut tour final — a full dark horse triumph!

The Monegasque will depart Shanghai carrying 1020 valuable points. From the start of qualifying, it was the withdrawal of young Brazilian Fonseca that allowed him, ranked over 200, to enter the qualifiers. This ironically makes one chuckle: the league initially supported the Brazilian youngster, yet it was his "substitute" who first claimed the Masters title.

Before the final even began, Vashelro had already made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player ever to reach the Masters final since the tournament’s inception. Additionally, the prize money he earned in Shanghai surpassed all his previous career earnings combined.

Achieving his first career title with such a performance, Vashelro outshines predecessors like Menchik, who won the Miami Masters earlier this year. Only Ivanisevic’s wild card victory at Wimbledon seems more astonishing. However, Ivanisevic was already well-known then, only dropping in ranking due to special circumstances, which is why he needed a wild card at that Wimbledon.

On the women’s side, only Raducanu, who won the US Open after coming through qualifying, can be compared. The British girl also started in qualifiers and ultimately lifted the trophy.

Before this Shanghai Masters, Vashelro, who had never broken into the top 100, had not given up. He openly expressed his desire to cause an upset in the qualifiers, and now he has written a chapter far more brilliant than he ever imagined.

When dreams become reality, everything that happened in these short two weeks feels surreal. As Vashelro said, "I need to take a moment to see if everything that happened these days is real."

From the tournament through the semifinals, people seemed to sense that these cousins could face off in the final. As the Frenchman who lost to him in the semifinals remarked, Lindeknech has the ability to defeat any tour opponent when playing at his best.

Djokovic also highly praised Vashelro after the match, stating that his own exit wasn’t due to physical issues and marveling at his opponent’s stunning breakthrough performance.

Next year at the Qizhong Center, Vashelro’s "Terracotta Warrior" statue will be unveiled. Whether he is a fleeting shooting star or will stride forward to join the world’s elite, by then the audience will surely have their answer.

Congratulations again to these cousins for making history together and giving special meaning to this controversial Masters tournament!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Chengqiya)