Match Report
Vacherot continues historic run, saves 13 BPs en route to Monte-Carlo SFs
Monegasque star is up to No. 17 in PIF ATP Live Rankings
April 10, 2026
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Valentin Vacherot celebrates reaching the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo on Friday.
By Sam Jacot
Valentin Vacherot continued his historic run on Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he became the first Monegasque player to reach the semi-finals in the Principality.
Backed by a raucous crowd on Court Rainier III, Vacherot fought past fifth seed Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to earn his fourth Top 10 win and set a semi-final meeting with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
“It is such an honour to be part of the semi-finals with the three best players of the past few years,” Vacherot said. “I can’t wait to play Carlos tomorrow in my hometown, it is amazing.”
Vacherot dug deep in three-set victories against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Hubert Hurkacz earlier this week, while he defeated fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, Against De Minaur, Vacherot crucially saved all six break points he faced in the third set and played red-hot tennis down the home straight to triumph after two hours and 24 minutes.
“All the guys in the crowd chanting, they are my best friends from when I was nine, 10 years old,” Vacherot said. “It is rare for a player to have this chance to have this many people around. The members sat in the boxes. I am so lucky to have a tournament in my club.”
Vacherot’s run on home soil comes just eight months after he triumphed in Shanghai as the World No. 204 to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion since the series began in 1990. The 27-year-old cracked the Top 40 after triumphing in Shanghai and then broke into the Top 30 after reaching the quarter-finals in Paris.
This season, the Monegasque star has continued to climb and is now up to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Earlier this year, Vacherot also reached the quarter-finals in Acapulco and the fourth round in Miami.
