From sister dynasties to brother duos and now cousins rewriting the script, tennis has long been a sport where genes and grit occasionally align to produce stories that feel more like family sagas than athletic rivalries.
Few examples capture that spirit better than the ongoing Shanghai Masters, where cousins Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot each advanced to the quarterfinals, a feat that stitched their shared past at Texas A&M into the bright lights of a Masters 1000 stage.
Rinderknech and Vacherot Make History
When Rinderknech and Vacherot entered the 2025 Shanghai Masters, few expected both to outlast seeds and veterans alike. Yet, that’s precisely what happened.
Vacherot, the qualifier from Monaco, ranked outside the top 200, carved his way through the draw with some elegance. His cousin, France’s Rinderknech, mirrored that poise, upsetting Alexander Zverev in a composed performance. By the end of the week, both find themselves in the ATP Shanghai quarterfinals, marking a rare moment in tennis history: two cousins, converging on the same late-round stage.
The Frenchman, ranked 54th, progressed to the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 event by defeating the 15th-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 7-6(5) on Wednesday. After dominating Lehecka in a tiebreak during the second set, Rinderknech wrote a message on a camera lens: “I follow you, Val.” This was after his cousin, ranked No. 204, became the lowest-ranked player to reach the last eight in Shanghai, having scored a remarkable comeback win over Dutch star Tallon Griekspoor.
Last season was challenging for the Monegasque due to injuries, and he had to navigate through qualifiers to reach the main draw in Shanghai, where he his now at the cusp of playing the biggest match of his career against Holger Rune.
Adding to the family’s pride, Rindeknech said, “We are actually not two cousins but three this week, because his brother Mike is also here as his (Vacherot’s) coach.”
Being at different ends of the draw, the tennis world may witness the first final between cousins at this level if they both advance. Shanghai waits.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
