Shanghai Masters 2025 Day Eleven Semi Final Recap

Day eleven on the 2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters produced one of the inconceivable finals in Masters 1000 historical past: a household affair between cousins Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot.

Each French-born and largely unheralded at the beginning of the week, the pair surprised the tennis world by toppling Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic in back-to-back semifinals to arrange a showdown for the title.

Vacherot, ranked exterior the highest 100, continued his giant-killing run by taking out a bodily spent Djokovic in straight units. The qualifier’s composure beneath strain and knack for absorbing tempo pissed off the five-time champion, who appeared hampered by a lingering again problem and couldn’t summon his trademark depth.

Later, Rinderknech recovered from a set all the way down to beat Medvedev, sealing victory through a double fault after saving 9 break factors within the ultimate two units. It’s his fourth straight win over a High 20 opponent, and it offers France an opportunity at a primary Masters 1000 champion since Tsonga’s 2014 Toronto triumph.

Per week in the past, nobody would’ve picked it. Now, considered one of them will stroll away with an enormous title and a $1,124,380 pay cheque.

Day Eleven Shanghai Masters 2025 Semi-Closing Outcomes

Winner
Loser
Scoreline

Arthur Rinderknech
Daniil Medvedev (16)
4-6 6-2 6-4

Valentin Vacherot (Q)
Novak Djokovic (4)
6-3 6-4

Valentin Vacherot (Q) def. Novak Djokovic (4) 6-3 6-4

Qualifier Valentin Vacherot produced one other shock on the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters, defeating five-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in a 1-hour, 40-minute semifinal.

Vacherot is the lowest-ranked finalist in Masters 1000 historical past since 1990, and he was capable of capitalise on Djokovic’s bodily woes to e book his spot in Monday’s showpiece.

Nole has had bodily points all week, and he acquired lower-back remedy twice within the opening set. I assumed he performed okay, however he didn’t have sufficient within the tank to grind his well beyond Vacherot.

The Monagasque has lengthy limbs and scoops up quite a lot of balls when pushed out broad, so he made life very tough for Djoker, who couldn’t actually discover a strategy to disrupt him, with the one actual wobble coming within the ultimate recreation, however he held agency when break level down to shut it out with composure.

Match Stats

Novak Djokovic
Valentin Vacherot

Winners
9
22

Unforced Errors
10
10

Aces
5
6

Double Faults
5
4

1st Serve %
64 % (39/61)
63% (36/57)

1st Serve Factors Received
59% (23/39)
78% (28/36)

2nd Serve Factors Received
48 % (11/23)
57% (12/21)

Break Factors Saved
50% (3/6)
50% (1/2)

Service Video games
67 % (6/9)
90% (9/10)

1st Return Factors Received
22% (8/36)
41% (16/39)

2nd Return Factors Received
43 % (9/21)
52% (12/23)

Break Factors Received
50% (1/2)
50% (3/6)

Return Video games
10 % (1/10)
33% (3/9)

Strain Factors
50% (4/8)
50% (4/8)

Service Factors
56% (34/61)
70% (40/57)

Return Factors
30% (17/57)
44% (27/61)

Internet Factors
42 % (5/12)
76% (13/17)

Whole Factors
43 % (51/118)
57% (67/118)

Match Factors Saved
1
0

Max Factors In A Row
5
7

Whole Video games
37 % (7/19)
63% (12/19)

Max Video games In A Row
1
3

Highlights

Arthur Rinderknech def. Daniil Medvedev (16) 4-6 6-2 6-4

Arthur Rinderknech delivered the second upset of the day, defeating sixteenth seed and 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a 2-hour, 15-minute conflict.

The 30-year-old Frenchman, using a wave of 4 consecutive High 20 wins (Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and now Medvedev), rallied from a set down with aggressive baseline play and clutch serving, capitalising on Medvedev’s double fault on match level.

In units two and three, Rinderknech saved all 9 break factors he confronted, and whereas it was shut (97 factors received vs 94 factors received), he performed the larger factors higher to arrange a ultimate showdown together with his cousin.

Whenever you consider all the highest French guys we’ve seen through the years, like Monfils and Gasquet, it’s loopy to assume Rinderknech could possibly be the primary M1000 winner since Tsonga received Toronto in 2014 and solely the 2nd French participant ever to win a Masters 1000. He’s additionally the brand new French primary, overtaking Fils within the rankings. Tennis huh 🤪