Valentin Vacherot said he finds it easier to play against opponents he doesn’t know well after beating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech for the second time in the space of three weeks at the Paris Masters.
Monaco’s Vacherot overcame a slow start to claim a 6-7 (9-11) 6-3 6-4 victory and set up a third-round meeting with British number two Cameron Norrie.
The 26-year-old claimed a shock victory against Rinderknech in the final of the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, becoming the lowest ranked ATP Masters 1,000 champion since the series began in 1990 (world number 204).
“I did feel a lot more tension than I did yesterday,” said Vacherot, who before Shanghai had never faced his cousin in a professional match.
“Was that because it was Arthur on the other side of the net? Maybe. In any case, it’s probably easier to approach matches against players I know less well.”
Vacherot beat Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic to reach the final in China, where he beat his cousin 4-6 6-3 6-3 to win a career-first ATP title and £824,000 in prize money.
Having risen to 40th in the world rankings, Vacherot eased past world number 14 Jiri Lehecka 6-1 6-3 on Tuesday to set up another clash with world number 29 Rinderknech.
“The first set wasn’t easy, for either of us. We were both very tense, and I think it showed,” Vacherot said.
“After that first set, I felt better, the pressure dropped a little. Overall, I’m happy with how I served and with the pressure I was able to put on his return games.”
Rinderknech said: “It was different from Shanghai. The match was completely different.
“There wasn’t much missing, actually, in terms of offensiveness and winners. He deserves his victory.”
After writing “Grandpa and Grandma would be proud” on the courtside camera in Shanghai, Vacherot wrote “I love my family” on a camera in Paris.
He will now face Norrie, who came from behind to stun world number one Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-3 6-4 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, world number two Jannik Sinner eased to a 6-4 6-2 win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.
Alcaraz’s early exit means Sinner will reclaim top spot in the world rankings if he wins the Paris Masters.
Reigning champion Alexander Zverev battled past Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 7-5 to reach the third round, but Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud lost his opening match against 50th-ranked German Daniel Altmaier 6-3 7-5.
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev of Russia was given a walkover to the third round after Grigor Dimitrov withdrew with a shoulder injury, while Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Alexandre Muller 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4).
