Vacherot Takes Down 10th Seed, Advances to Semifinals in Shanghai
Oct 09, 2025 | Men's Tennis
SHANGHAI – Former Texas A&M All-America tennis player Valentin Vacherot continued his magical run at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters with a stunning 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 quarter-final victory over 10th seed Holger Rune of Denmark early Thursday morning at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 event.
Vacherot, who was the ITA National Senior Player of the Year for the Aggies in 2021, powered past Rune in the decider to become the second lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Masters 1000 history (since 1990). With his two-hour, 59-minute victory, the 26-year-old Vacherot simultaneously ensured he will crack the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. He is up 112 spots to No. 92 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
"This is just unbelievable," Vacherot told ATPTour.com. "The last win meant already so much to me. This one means even more.
"It was tough not to think about it on match point, also breaking the Top 100. I know this is just a step, but I tried not to look at the rankings for this whole tournament. I had read that if I won, I would break the Top 100, but this is just unbelievable for me. I cannot wait for [the semi-final]. I'm just so happy and living the dream."
Vacherot has now rallied from a set down in five of his seven matches in Shanghai, including two in the qualifying rounds. Next up for the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, native is a chance to reach his first tour-level final when he takes on either 24-major championship winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia or Zizou Bergs of Belgium in the semifinals.
Vacherot finished his career in the Maroon & White with an 86-21 record in dual matches, setting the program record for dual singles wins. The right hander was the SEC's only student-athlete ranked in the top-five of the ITA poll for the entire 2021 season as he posted a team-best 15 ranked wins. Over his time in Aggieland he recorded an astonishing 43-6 all-time mark in conference matches including a program-record 19-match conference win streak.
images courtesy Rolex Shanghai Masters
