SHANGHAI, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Monaco's Valentin Vacherot, ranked No. 204 in the ATP, stunned Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the final of the 2025 Shanghai Masters here on Saturday.

With this victory, Vacherot became the first Monegasque player to reach a Masters 1000 singles final and the first to defeat a top-10 player in men's singles.

"I'm not realising what's happened, so I can't give any words on it," said Vacherot. "This is just crazy. First of all, to just be on the other side of the court (from Djokovic) was an unbelievable experience. I think I've got so much to learn from this match, from him. Even for myself, I've got a lot to keep."

After the match, Djokovic praised Vacherot's performance. "I want to congratulate Russell (Vacherot) for reaching his first Masters final from qualifications, amazing story. I told him at the net that he's had an amazing tournament, but more so his attitude is very good. And his game was amazing as well. So it's all about him. I wish him all the best in the finals and the better player won today," he said.

Vacherot's cousin, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, brought another good news for their family later. He clawed back to beat 2019 Shanghai winner Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to make the final a family affair.

"We played many hours of tennis together. It doesn't matter tomorrow (who will win). But today we won everything," Rinderknech said. Enditem