Favourite Cousin! Valentin Vacherot Downs Arthur Rinderknech Yet Again In Paris

Valentin Vacherot, Arthur Rinderknech. (X)

Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot added another chapter in the ongoing family affair at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, defeating his French cousin Arthur Rinderknech 6-7(9) 6-3 6-4 to advance to the last-16 in their second Masters clash this month.

This victory came less than three weeks after Vacherot’s fairy-tale run in Shanghai, where he emerged as the lowest-ranked player at 204 to win an ATP Masters 1000 event, propelling him to 40th in the world rankings.

Their latest family encounter at the Paris La Defense Arena lasted nearly three hours, with Vacherot admitting the familial tension affected 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 I know less well. Anyway, against Arthur every time, the first set was difficult. Then I felt better and better as time passed, and this was the case today.

“The first set wasn’t easy for either of us. We were both very tense. I think the crowd could see it.”

The opening set was 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 in terms of offensiveness and winners. He deserves his victory.”

(With Inputs From Agencies)