New feat and first quarterfinal in Masters 1000: Vacherot's incredible run continues in Shanghai
The last match of the day at the Shanghai Masters 1000 pitted Tallon Griekspoor against Valentin Vacherot.
The Dutchman had benefited from world number 2 Jannik Sinner's withdrawal in the previous round, while the Monegasque player, who came through qualifying, reached the round of 16 for the first time in his career with wins against Djere, Bublik, and Machac (via retirement).
Ranked 31st in the world, Griekspoor was the favorite in this match against his opponent ranked outside the top 200. Moreover, following his match against Sinner, the Dutchman broke serve right from the start.
Impressive with his serves, he lost only three points on his service in the first set. Logically, he led the way. However, the second set was much more uncertain.
More solid on serve, the 26-year-old Monegasque then made his opponent doubt, who failed to convert any of his six break points in the set. Ultimately, the Dutchman completely fell apart in the tie-break, which Vacherot easily won to force a decisive third set (7 points to 1).
While both players continued to dominate on serve, Griekspoor, who hadn't been broken once until then, cracked at the worst possible moment, at 4-4 in the third set.
Vacherot didn't need more to close out the match in the following game and reach the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career (4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 22 minutes).
At 26 years old, the world number 204 will face Holger Rune for a spot in the semifinals. He also becomes the first player representing Monaco to reach the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 on the ATP Tour.
As for Griekspoor, he failed to confirm his success against Sinner and missed the opportunity to reach his second quarterfinal in the tournament category this season after Indian Wells earlier this year.
Shanghai 
