Valentine Vacherot is a Monegasque qualifier who upset Novak Djokovic in one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, becoming the lowest-ranked finalist in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
In a seismic semi-final upset in Shanghai on Saturday, the World No. 204 beat four-time Shanghai champion 6-3, 6-4.
Vacherot joined the tournament as a qualifying alternate and showed great composure against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
His win is the largest of his career and it puts his name in the books as he becomes the first winner among all the finalists since the introduction of the Masters 1000 series in 1990.
The game was not free of drama as Djokovic was treated by the physio twice in the course of the first set because of a lower back injury.
The 38-year-old Serbian managed to demonstrate more comfort, though not in the first set, but failed to overcome the determination of the qualifier.
The score level stood at 4-4 in the second set, and Vacherot then gained the necessary break of serve and calmly delivered the match, transforming his second match point.
Vacherot, who previously won only a single Masters-level match in his career, has since compiled an impressive streak, overcoming some of the best players, including Holger Rune, to reach this point.
The victory gives Vacherot a career-high rating within the “Top 60” in the world.
He now awaits the victor in the other semi-final between Daniil Medvedev and an exceptionally special competitor, his own cousin, Arthur Rinderknech.
Vacherot will challenge in his first ATP Tour final on Sunday to finish one of the unbelievable runs that the sport has ever witnessed.