Valentin Vacherot says what ‘really shocked’ him about Holger Rune after playing against him in Shanghai

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Valentin Vacherot continues to make history at the 2025 Shanghai Masters…

Entering the competition ranked 204th in the world, nobody expected the Monegasque qualifier to reach the semifinals.

Surprising everyone and himself in China, Vacherot beat Holger Rune, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 on Thursday to secure his place in the last four of the Shanghai Masters.

The 26-year-old was excellent throughout, battling back from a set down to defeat the ATP world number 11.

During his post-match interview, Vacherot shared what shocked him about Rune during their quarterfinal clash.

Valentin Vacherot was shocked by the physicality of Holger Rune

Immediately after the match, Vacherot was asked whether his quarterfinal win over Rune was more physically or mentally challenging.

“First set, physically,” he said.

“I was really shocked, I thought it was a step above.”

Vacherot then briefly reflected on the matches he won on his way to the quarterfinals in Shanghai.

“I already thought Tallon [Griekspoor], tennis-wise, was playing really, really good, and I was already shocked about that during the match against Griekspoor,” he said.

• 2025 Shanghai Masters Q1 – Valentin Vacherot defeated Nishesh Basavareddy
• 2025 Shanghai Masters Q2 – Valentin Vacherot defeated Liam Draxl
• 2025 Shanghai Masters 1R – Valentin Vacherot defeated Laslo Djere
• 2025 Shanghai Masters 2R – Valentin Vacherot defeated Alexander Bublik
• 2025 Shanghai Masters 3R – Valentin Vacherot defeated Thomas Machac
• 2025 Shanghai Masters 4R – Valentin Vacherot defeated Tallon Griekspoor

“Sascha Bublik is Sascha Bublik. We know how he plays. You can expect any shot at any second, that’s why he is so good, he serves so well.”

The Monegasque star may have struggled with Rune’s physicality in the first set, but eventually outlasted the Dane, who cramped up during the decider.

“Today I was just so shocked at how he was defending, getting points that I would win against 90% of the guys, I felt like I was coming in having an easy volley, he would pass me,” said Vacherot.

“The first set was pretty physical, my lungs were screaming a little bit, and that helped me a lot for the second set to play even more freely. 

“At the end, what I’m most surprised about is I think I beat him physically, that’s just unreal.”

Vacherot was delighted with the win, as was his cousin and fellow Shanghai Masters quarterfinalist, Arthur Rinderknech, who quickly took to social media.

“Huge, my cousin,” he said on X.

Defeating Rune, Vacherot guaranteed himself a place in the top 100, a landmark he has been chasing for quite some time.

‘I’m living the dream’ – Valentin Vacherot on top 100 breakthrough

Having been ranked outside the world’s top 200 a week ago, Vacherot struggled to keep his mind off what was at stake during his quarterfinal win over Rune.

“I didn’t even come as a qualifier, I came as an alternate, I wasn’t sure to even play qualifying,” he said.

“I don’t know what to say, this is just unbelievable, the last win meant already so much to me, this means even more.

“It was tough not to think about it on the match point, also the top-100 breaking, I know this is just a step, but… I tried not to look at the ranking this whole tournament, but unfortunately for this one, I read it on a few medias, that if I won, I would break into the top 100.

“This is just unbelievable for me. I don’t even know what day it is, I don’t know when the semifinal is, I’m just so happy and living the dream.”

Vacherot will be a top-100 player when the next set of rankings are released and currently sits 92nd in the Live ATP Rankings.

The 26-year-old came close to reaching the top 100 for the first time last year but narrowly missed out, making his latest achievement all the more enjoyable.

“Last year, for five months, I got injured when I was 30 points away from the top 100, playing the best tennis of my life, I had almost no points to defend,” said Vacherot.

“I was sitting on my couch all the time thinking that if I got just one good result or two, I would be top 100. Unfortunately, I didn’t play at all the rest of the season.

“Coming back from six months out is always not easy, you cannot just come back and win tournaments right and left. You have to fight your way through a little bit. I had another little setback this summer.

“This is the last way I thought I would be breaking into the top 100, having a huge run like this, this is probably the easiest way though!”

Vacherot isn’t satisfied with becoming a top-100 player, however, as he is already targeting more.

“It’s not really about breaking into the top 100, because this is just a step, of course, I don’t want to stop my career right now,” he said.

If he were to win his semifinal match in Shanghai, Vacherot could rise to as high as 58th in the world rankings.

Vacherot will return to take on either Novak Djokovic or Zizou Bergs in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday, October 11.