ATP Masters Rolex Paris Masters
Vacherot on his rapid climb: from Texas A&M and Challengers to a Shanghai Masters victory
Vacherot on moving from Texas A&M and the Challenger Tour to a breakthrough Masters title in Shanghai
Valentin Vacherot carried the momentum from his Rolex Shanghai Masters breakthrough into Paris, producing a dominant opening match at the season’s final Masters 1000 event. The Monegasque rising star lost only four games while upsetting No. 13 seed Jiri Lehecka, 6-1, 6-3.
“Everything I’ve been living the past two-three weeks helps a lot for me to have no nerves,” Vacherot told Prakash Amritraj during an interview.
The 26-year-old’s autumn has been a swift ascent. A former college player at Texas A&M University, Vacherot spent significant time on the ATP Challenger Tour before making an unexpected run in Shanghai. He advanced to the main draw only after surviving two rounds of qualifying and then found form against high-level opposition.
“I think the tournament changed when I beat [Alexander] Bublik in the second round,” recalled Vacherot, who had to pass through two rounds of qualifying just to make it into the Shanghai main draw. “I think it was just about focusing on myself because that was working in the first matches. I kept doing the same thing over and over and it kept working. There was nothing to change, all about focusing on myself and adapting during the matches because I was playing such good guys for the first time in my life. I knew it wasn’t going to work this good every time, but for this one, it worked pretty well.”
He followed that win with victories over Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic, before defeating cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final to claim the biggest title of his career. Reflecting on the win over Djokovic, Vacherot described the encounter as surreal and liberating.
“It was already surreal to be on the court against him, once I stepped on court almost all the nerves left because I just wanted to have so much fun out there. I wasn’t thinking I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I know that if people told me two weeks before I would be in the round of 16, quarterfinals, I would have said they were a bit crazy! But it helped me so much to be a bit stress-free. I was playing so well!”
Now ranked No. 40, Vacherot emphasized the role of the Challenger circuit in preparing him for this step up. “The depth is unreal through No. 300, 350,” claimed Vacherot. “I’m not saying everyone plays the same level but it’s pretty close. The Challenger level is so tough. There’s not one easy match. It’s the same here, of course, but the Challenger level, I feel, is the same. It shows on my record. I made a lot of semifinals and quarterfinals this year but couldn’t really push through for a title or a final. So, maybe I just needed to go on the big tour to do it!”
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Sabalenka and Kyrgios to meet in Dubai ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition
Sabalenka and Kyrgios will meet in Dubai on Dec. 28 for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition. indoors.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios are scheduled to face each other in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition set for Dec. 28 in Dubai. The match will be played indoors at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena, and both players posted logistical details on their social media channels after Sabalenka confirmed during the U.S. Open that discussions for the match were underway.
Before their head-to-head meeting in Dubai, both players will take part in an exhibition in New York on Dec. 8, though they will not play one another there. Sabalenka will face Naomi Osaka and Kyrgios will play Tommy Paul in that event.
Kyrgios has outlined specific conditions for the Dubai match, saying he would get only one serve and would be hitting toward a smaller side of the court. The Australian, who has barely played in recent years because of injuries, has predicted he will win easily.
“I cannot wait to get back out on court,” Kyrgios said in an Instagram story. “Honestly I’m feeling amazing. I never thought I would be back into this position, being able to travel the world, see my fans and play some amazing tennis.”
The exhibition borrows its name from the famous 1973 meeting between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, a match King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome. Sabalenka enters the off-season as a four-time Grand Slam champion and one of the top attractions on the women’s tour, while Kyrgios returns to a spotlighted appearance after a period of limited competitive play.
125 ATP Slovak Open
Young winners and seasoned pros: Blockx, Giustino, Shimabukuro, Jódar and Navone shine on the Challenger circuit
Blockx, Giustino, Shimabukuro, Jódar and Navone took Challenger titles across the circuit. worldwide
Belgian Alexander Blockx won the Slovak Open Challenger, defeating France’s Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-3 in the final. The 20-year-old from Antwerp sealed victory in 69 minutes to claim his second Challenger title of the season after Oeiras and the third of his career. The former junior world No. 1 collected 125 ATP ranking points, pushing him to a new career-high just outside the Top 100 and surpassing his previous best of No. 116. Blockx is the first Belgian to lift the Slovak Open trophy in the tournament’s 26-year history.
The opening set saw both players hold serve until the eighth game before Blockx broke in the ninth to take it 6-4. He broke early in the second set and closed out the match by converting his second match point in the ninth game. “I think I played a good match,” Blockx said after the win. “It wasn’t my best tennis, but I was efficient. I served well, and with just two breaks in the match, it was pretty tight. I managed to take advantage of a few of his errors. Physically, I didn’t have as much energy as in the previous days, which is normal after four tough matches. My semifinal [against top seed Raphael Collignon] was one of the best matches I’ve ever played, so it’s not easy to keep that level. I’m happy I managed to finish strong.” He also recalled a narrow escape in round one. “Honestly, I was just happy to get through that first round,” Blockx admitted. “That gave me confidence, and I played better with every match. The field was very strong. This was one of the toughest and best Challengers I’ve played. Everything here in Bratislava was great—from the organization to the ball kids. I play my best tennis where I feel good, and here in Bratislava, it felt like home.”
Italian Lorenzo Giustino won the inaugural Monastir Open in Tunisia, beating Petr Brunclik 7-5, 6-0 in one hour and 52 minutes under clear skies at the Skanes Family Resort. Giustino converted five of 14 break points and won 58 percent of points. “I played very well. I was very nervous at the beginning, as I was also playing for a ticket to the Australian Open. I was good at the important points and improved throughout the match,” he said. Giustino earned $8,350 and 50 ATP points.
On hard courts, Sho Shimabukuro beat No. 5 seed Coleman Wong 6-4, 6-3 to win the EUGENE Seoul Open in 71 minutes, his fifth Challenger title and his second of the season. Rafael Jódar captured the Charlottesville title with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Martin Damm. In Lima, top seed Mariano Navone overcame Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to claim the Los Inkas Open after more than two hours and forty minutes; it was Navone’s eighth Challenger trophy and his second of the season.
ATP ATP 250 ATP Finals
Final ATP Finals Place Hinges on Musetti Winning Athens
The final spot for Turin rests with Musetti: only an Athens title will displace Auger-Aliassime. Now
The race to complete the eight-player field for the ATP Finals now comes down to a two-player duel and one last tournament. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur became the fifth, sixth and seventh players to qualify after a busy week in Paris, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in an eight-player field in Turin.
There is only one remaining spot and two contenders: Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Auger-Aliassime moved from No. 9 to No. 8 in the race standings after reaching the final in Paris, which pushed Musetti from No. 8 to No. 9. Simple arithmetic now decides the outcome. Musetti must win the title in Athens this week to overtake Auger-Aliassime in the standings and secure the final berth in Turin. If he falls short, Auger-Aliassime will claim the place.
That path for Musetti could include a very difficult final if both he and Novak Djokovic reach the championship match in Athens. Auger-Aliassime had been entered in Metz but withdrew with a left knee injury, removing a potential point-earning opportunity this week.
The shake-up in Paris produced a few internal adjustments: Zverev and Djokovic swapped positions inside the top eight, and Shelton and Fritz also switched places. Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik has effectively locked in the role of second alternate for Turin. Bublik climbed from No. 15 to No. 11 in the race after reaching his first Masters 1000 semifinal in Paris, where he defeated two already-qualified players before losing to Auger-Aliassime.
No player outside the current group can pass Bublik this week. Jack Draper, who is No. 10 in the standings, ended his season after the US Open because of an arm injury, and Bublik cannot pass anyone but Draper.
The first alternate for the ATP Finals will be whichever of Auger-Aliassime or Musetti does not finish as the eighth qualifier in Turin.
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