From the start of the comeback to its conclusion, Vacherot's championship created an immortal legend.

It is widely recognized that in men's tennis tournaments, apart from Grand Slams played as best of five sets, other competitions use a best of three sets format. Consequently, the player who takes the first set usually has a better chance to secure the overall victory.

Nevertheless, exceptions always exist. Just last week, a player frequently pulled off stunning reversals and eventually wrote his own unforgettable story. So, who is this player? What exactly happened? Let this article take you through the details.

This player is Monaco’s Vacherot. Last season, he once achieved a 15-match winning streak on the Challenger Tour, capturing three Challenger titles in a row. Because of this, many tennis fans started to notice him. However, since the beginning of the 2025 season and until this week, despite earning his first Masters-level victory, Vacherot remained under the radar due to his world ranking being outside the top 200.

Two weeks ago, due to the withdrawal of many top-ranked players, Vacherot gained entry into the Shanghai Masters qualifying rounds. In the first round, he faced American Basavareddy, a former Challenger champion. Basavareddy took the first set in a tiebreak, gaining an early advantage. However, Vacherot fought back to win the next two sets, overturning the match and advancing with difficulty. Perhaps even Vacherot himself did not expect this to be just the beginning of his comeback streak.

In the final qualifying round, after losing the first set again, Vacherot rallied to win two consecutive sets against Canadian player Drexel, securing his spot in the Shanghai Masters main draw. In the first round, he faced Serbian player Djere and played exceptionally well, conceding only seven games throughout the match. This marked Vacherot’s second career victory at a Masters event.

In the second round, his opponent was Asia’s top player, Bublik. In the 2025 season, Bublik had already won four tour titles. The first set saw Bublik easily claim it 6-3. However, Vacherot responded with the same 6-3 score in the second set. In the deciding set, with the score tight, Vacherot broke Bublik’s serve and then held his own serve to close out the match. This was Vacherot’s third comeback victory in Shanghai and marked his first career win over a top 20 player, as well as his first consecutive wins in a Masters main draw.

The magic continued! In the third round against Czech player Machac, after taking the first set and building a big lead in the second, Machac retired due to physical issues. In the fourth round, Vacherot once again came from behind to defeat Dutch player Griekspoor, reaching his first Masters quarterfinal. He also became the first tennis player from Monaco to reach the quarterfinals of a Masters event.

In the quarterfinals, facing former Masters champion Danish player Rune, Vacherot once more lost the first set but fought back to win the next two sets. Unconsciously, Vacherot had achieved five comeback victories in Shanghai. Objectively speaking, he truly deserves the title of “King of Comebacks.”

In the semifinals, he decisively defeated Serbian star Djokovic, who has won the Shanghai Masters four times, advancing to the final. In the final, Vacherot’s opponent was French player Lindeknech. Coincidentally, these two players are cousins. This was also the first time in the history of the Masters that cousins faced each other in the final.

In this final match, Vacherot staged a complete comeback, overturning a one-set deficit to win two consecutive sets and claim his first Masters title. This also marked his sixth comeback victory in Shanghai.

After this nine-match winning streak, Vacherot’s world ranking rose to 38, the highest he has achieved since joining the ATP professional circuit. That concludes today’s tennis story; stay tuned for more tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)