Valentin Vacherot has arrived at the Paris Masters looking to prove that he’s not a one-hit wonder.
Vacherot wasn’t even named as a qualifier before the Shanghai Masters, but after getting the nod to play, he roared through the draw and won the Masters 1000 event.
Vacherot’s coach didn’t want him to play the Shanghai Masters originally, but after winning that event, he’s now got a wildcard for the Paris Masters.
His first round match went incredibly well, coming through a tricky-looking match with Jiri Lehecka in under an hour to set up a repeat of the Shanghai final with his cousin Arthur Rinderknech.
Vacherot was pleased with his performance in his opening match and now he will look forward to another match against his cousin tomorrow.
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Valentin Vacherot pinpoints difference between him and Arthur Rinderknech
Rinderknech delivered a classy reaction after losing in Shanghai to Vacherot and it’s quite clear that the pair were delighted for each other at the tournament.
This time, the two players have drawn each other much earlier on in the tournament and it’s a sign of the times in a competitive sport like tennis that Vacherot and Rinderknech are now due to meet in a last 32 match.
Vacherot has made some new goals after winning in Shanghai and after beating Lehecka in one of the first matches on Tuesday, he’s shared how he differs from his cousin.
He said: “We’re both tall. We play well. But I think there are slight differences between the two of us. Arthur is more offensive than I am. He likes to play to the net whenever he has the opportunity.
“I like to play from the back, because I play a lot on clay. I like physical matches, as well, and the fact that I improved so much these last months and years is that I’m more and more aggressive now. I race to the net and it pays off.”
Vacherot admitted he was excited after getting his wildcard to the Paris Masters and the player will now be hoping to make more storylines at the final Masters 1000 event of the year.
Whether Vacherot will see Rinderknech before their match
Naturally, it’s caused a few headlines that two cousins recently met in the final of a 1000 event and it’s quite special that they’ve drawn each other in the very next tournament.
Rinderknech will be hoping for a different outcome on this occasion, and it would appear that the situation is more businesslike between the two players this time.
Vacherot has claimed that he doesn’t expect to see him before the game, claiming they’re both in their own bubbles ahead of this latest encounter.
He said: “No, we’ll stay in our bubbles. I know he has a doubles match to play, as well. We’re cousins, yes, but we’re not on the same team, so we’re not going to have dinner together tonight.
“Even if in Shanghai it was a bit different, we had breakfast together, we warmed up together, it’s because we were far from everyone and everywhere. We were more on the same team in Shanghai because he came to see my matches, I would come and watch his matches, as well, and we had no one else to rely upon.
“Here, all our families are here, so we’ll stick to our sides, and I hope that we’re going to deliver a wonderful match for the crowd tomorrow.”
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