Rinderknech, defeated by his cousin in Shanghai: "A golden opportunity missed," says Escudé

Arthur Rinderknech saw his dream slip away in the final of the Shanghai Masters 1000, defeated by his cousin Valentin Vacherot. A defeat as cruel as it was symbolic, which Nicolas Escudé analyzes bluntly: "This one, it was golden…".

Yesterday, Arthur Rinderknech lost to Valentin Vacherot, his cousin, in the final of the Shanghai Masters 1000.

Although he got off to a better start by winning the first set, the Frenchman then cracked in the next two sets and is still searching for his first ATP Tour title.

A missed opportunity for the 30-year-old player, which was analyzed by Nicolas Escudé, a consultant for Eurosport:

"It was the physical aspect that made the difference. He probably lacked a bit of freshness. The defeat, in itself, will definitely give him a bit of a blow to the head.

It (the defeat) will be softened by the fact that it's his cousin who wins. But it's a Masters 1000 final. Will he have another opportunity to win one? This one, it was golden…"

To date, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga remains the last French player to have raised his arms in a Masters 1000. That was in Toronto in 2014. Since then, Gaël Monfils (Monte-Carlo 2016), Ugo Humbert (Paris-Bercy 2024), and now Rinderknech have stumbled at the final step.