Match Reaction
Vacherot on dream Monte-Carlo run: ‘I will have those memories for the rest of my life’
27-year-old became first Monegasque player to reach semi-finals in Monte-Carlo
April 11, 2026
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Valentin Vacherot this week became the first Monegasque player to reach the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo.
By ATP Staff
Valentin Vacherot’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters run came to an end on Saturday when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. But the result did little to diminish a defining week for the Monegasque.
The 27-year-old this week delivered a breakthrough performance on home soil, becoming the first Monegasque player to reach the semi-finals in the Principality.
“It was a great tournament,” Vacherot said. “I will have those memories for the rest of my life.”
Vacherot views his run as the foundation for what comes next. Vacherot views his run as the foundation for what comes next. With his performance, Vacherot has raised the bar and strengthened his belief that he can go even further. He said he welcomed the chance to face someone like Alcaraz as a test to measure the level he wants to reach if he is to produce bigger results.
“Although I had Alcaraz on the other side of the net, I’m happy that I came out of the match with some frustration, because it shows that I want to do even better,” he shared.
“It was great for me to play against him for the first time in the semi-final here in this tournament.”
Indeed, Vacherot is no stranger to producing the kinds of breakthroughs he did this week. In October last year, he triumphed at the Rolex Shanghai Masters as the World No. 204 to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion since the series began in 1990. That week, he defeated Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, and with the title triumph, the 27-year-old propelled into the Top 40.
This week, the Monegasque defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo, fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti, Hubert Hurkacz and fifth seed Alex de Minaur. As a result, he is up to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to make his Top 20 debut on Monday. However, the 27-year-old said he is not focused on his ranking, insisting he simply wants to enjoy the upcoming tournaments on clay.
“I didn’t want to talk about the Top 20 in the first place. So for the time being, I’m going to stay as I am, do the same things,” he said. “But I’m happy that the clay court season is only starting, because I have to play those beautiful tournaments coming up [in the next months], all the way to Roland Garros.”
The home favourite will leave Monte-Carlo with a strong sense of pride after a standout week on the courts he grew up playing on. He admitted he could’ve hardly imagined this outcome at the start.
“I don’t have much to prove anymore. I’m there, I’m in my right place,” Vacherot said. “Of course, at the beginning of this week, I didn’t picture myself in the semi-finals at the end of the week.
“The only thing I wanted was to play the big players on my own courts and go and bother them and try to do something.”
