PARIS :Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot served up another helping of family drama at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, beating his French cousin Arthur Rinderknech 6-7(9) 6-3 6-4 to advance to the last-16 in their second Masters showdown this month.
The victory came less than three weeks after Vacherot’s fairy-tale run in Shanghai, where he became the lowest-ranked player at 204 to triumph at an ATP Masters 1000 event, catapulting him to 40th in the world rankings.
Their latest family reunion at the Paris La Defense Arena lasted nearly three hours, with Vacherot conceding the familial tension got to him early on.
“During the first set, I felt more tension than yesterday (in a straight sets victory over Jiri Lehecka). Was it because it’s Arthur in front of me? Maybe,” Vacherot told reporters.
“But it’s easier to start a match against players that I know less well. Anyway, against Arthur every time, the first set was difficult. Then I felt better and better as time flew, and this was the case today.
“The first set wasn’t easy for both of us. We were very tense, both of us. I think the crowd could see it.”
The opening set proved a nerve-wracking affair for both cousins, with Vacherot squandering two set points in the tiebreak before eventually losing it 11-9.
Vacherot found himself in serious trouble at 3-3 in the final set when he faced three break points at 0-40 down but he eventually recovered, firing 32 winners en route to victory as Rinderknech’s unforced errors ultimately handed him the advantage.
“It was different from Shanghai. The match was completely different,” Rinderknech said.
“There wasn’t much missing, actually, in terms of offensiveness and winners. He deserves his victory.”
