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Shanghai Surprise: A Family Final and an Unseeded Champion

Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, ranked 204th in the world and a qualifier, captured the Shanghai Masters 1000 title by defeating his cousin, France’s Arthur Rinderknech (world No. 54), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

The 26-year-old Vacherot became the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters 1000 event, breaking the record previously held by Croatia’s Borna Ćorić, who triumphed at the Cincinnati Masters in 2022 while ranked 152nd in the world.

Vacherot, who has now broken into the world’s top 40, secured his ninth consecutive victory in Shanghai — all in front of Swiss legend Roger Federer. He also became the first player from Monaco to win an ATP Tour title. Along the way, he stunned Serbian star Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, ending the world No. 1’s quest for a fifth Shanghai crown. The final marked only the third Masters 1000 title match in history between two unseeded players.

Meanwhile, Rinderknech, 30, enjoyed the best run of his career at a Masters 1000 tournament and climbed to world No. 28 as a result.

Third Masters Title for Gauff

On the women’s side, American Coco Gauff, ranked third in the world, claimed her third WTA 1000 title by defeating compatriot Jessica Pegula (No. 6) 6-4, 7-5 in the Wuhan Open final.

Gauff needed one hour and 42 minutes to seal her third victory in seven career meetings with Pegula — her former doubles partner — adding the Wuhan crown to her previous WTA 1000 titles in Cincinnati (2023) and Beijing (last year). The victory also helped her bounce back from losses in this year’s Madrid and Rome finals to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively.

It was the 21-year-old’s 11th career singles title and her second of the year, following her triumph at the French Open — her second Grand Slam crown after the 2023 US Open.

Together, Gauff and Pegula have won five doubles titles — including San Diego (2022) and Doha (2023) — as well as two WTA 1000 doubles crowns (Miami 2023 and Montreal 2025) and one Grand Slam doubles title at Roland Garros 2024.

Gauff also became the first player in the Open Era to win her first nine hard-court finals. Her Wuhan triumph further solidified her hold on the No. 3 spot in the world rankings, narrowing the gap on Poland’s Iga Świątek (No. 2), who was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Paolini. Pegula, who dethroned defending champion Sabalenka in the semifinals on Saturday, moved up one spot to No. 5.

After a week full of shocking tennis upsets, from Vacherot’s historic Shanghai run to Gauff’s dominance in Wuhan, there’s no better place to back the next big story than Betway — UAE top destination for smart, secure, and thrilling online betting.

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