Those who still thought Vacherot winning Shanghai was somehow a fluke must now be reassessing their view.

Continuing to play with supreme confidence and clarity in the pressure points, Vacherot is proving any lingering cynics wrong in Paris.

Stringing together 10 match wins at the Masters events – the ATP’s most prestigious tier of tournaments beneath the Grand Slams – is no mean feat.

Battling past Norrie, who won more points in the match but crucially not the pivotal ones, sees Vacherot become only the second men’s player ranked outside the top 20 to put together such a run. Argentina’s David Nalbandian was the other in 2007.

Vacherot’s hefty serve is a clear weapon and allows him to alleviate pressure at crucial junctures.

But the 6ft 4in right-hander is far from just a ‘serve-bot’. His fearless refusal to deviate from his risk-reward game, with his forehand as clutch as his serve, continues to pay off.

Vacherot also showed against Norrie – one of the tour’s finest athletes – how well he can move behind the baseline.

Reaching the quarter-finals lifts him into the world’s top 30 in the live rankings. It is a stunning and surprise rise, putting him on course to be seeded at the Australian Open in January.