Following his triumph over his cousin Arthur Rinderknech for the second occasion in a span of three weeks at the Paris Masters, Valentin Vacherot expressed that he perceives it as less challenging to compete against adversaries with whom he lacks familiarity.
Representing Monaco, Vacherot rallied from a sluggish commencement to secure a 6-7 (9-11), 6-3, 6-4 victory, thereby arranging a third-round encounter with Cameron Norrie, the British number two.
The 26-year-old achieved a surprising triumph against Rinderknech in the Shanghai Masters final earlier this month, emerging as the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1,000 champion since the inception of the series in 1990 (ranked 204th globally).
“I experienced a heightened sense of anxiety compared to yesterday,” Vacherot remarked, noting that he had never encountered his cousin in a professional match prior to Shanghai.
“Was the increased tension attributable to facing Arthur across the net? Possibly. Regardless, I find it generally easier to approach matches against players with whom I have less familiarity.”
En route to the final in China, Vacherot defeated Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune, and Novak Djokovic, ultimately overcoming his cousin 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to secure his inaugural ATP title and a prize of £824,000.
After ascending to the 40th position in the world rankings, Vacherot comfortably surpassed Jiri Lehecka, the world number 14, with a score of 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday, thereby establishing another showdown with Rinderknech, the world number 29.
“The opening set proved challenging for both of us. We both exhibited considerable tension, which was evident,” Vacherot stated.
“Following that initial set, I felt more composed, and the pressure diminished slightly. Overall, I am pleased with my serving performance and the pressure I exerted during his return games.”
Rinderknech commented, “This match differed from the one in Shanghai. It was a completely distinct encounter.”
“In terms of aggression and winning shots, there wasn’t a significant disparity. He is deserving of his victory.”
After inscribing “Grandpa and Grandma would be proud” on the courtside camera in Shanghai, Vacherot penned “I love my family” on a camera in Paris.
He is now slated to face Norrie, who orchestrated a comeback to stun Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one, with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday.
In other developments, Jannik Sinner, the world number two, secured a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory against Zizou Bergs of Belgium.
Alcaraz’s premature exit implies that Sinner will reclaim the top spot in the world rankings if he emerges victorious at the Paris Masters.
Alexander Zverev, the reigning champion, overcame Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina with a score of 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-5 to advance to the third round. However, Casper Ruud, the Norwegian eighth seed, suffered a defeat in his opening match against Daniel Altmaier, the 50th-ranked German player, with a score of 6-3, 7-5.
Daniil Medvedev of Russia, the former world number one, received a walkover into the third round following Grigor Dimitrov’s withdrawal due to a shoulder injury, while Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexandre Muller with a score of 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).
