Valentin Vacherot shocks Lorenzo Musetti in Monte-Carlo, makes Monagesque history

Match Report

Vacherot shocks Musetti in Monte-Carlo, makes Monagesque history

27-year-old saved a set point in first set

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Valentin Vacherot defeats Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets Wednesday in Monte-Carlo. By ATP Staff

Valentin Vacherot knows a thing or two about special victories. The Monagesque saved a set point in the opening set to earn a 7-6(6), 7-5 win against fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Wednesday.

With the victory, Vacherot became the first Monegasque since his coach and half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, to reach the fourth round in The Principality. This is also his second Top-5 win since his semi-final victory against Novak Djokovic at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in October.

"The emotions went [up and] down a bit," Vacherot said. "If someone told me that my first Top-5 win, second after Shanghai, will be here on a night session on the centre court I have been hitting on since I was six years old, it's nothing, nothing can be done."

Balleret advanced to the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2006 when he fell to then-World No. 1 Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-2. Vacherot will aim to go one better when he faces Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

"This is where I learned how to play tennis," he said. "I needed a set and a half to get on it in the first round. Now my clay court game is back and I am ready to roll."

In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 2025 finalist Musetti, Vacherot thrived in crucial moments. Vacherot saved a set point in the first-set tie-break to edge ahead, then, despite dropping serve while trying to close the match at 5-4 in the second set, responded immediately with a break of his own before sealing the victory in two hours and nine minutes.

Vacherot has now reached the fourth round in four of the past five ATP Masters 1000 events he has played.

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