"Two cousins are stronger than one" - Arthur Rinderknech cramps up in ceremony as Valentin Vacherot just laughs at Shanghai Masters

There was hugely emotional scenes after the Shanghai Masters final, in which two cousins competed for their first ATP title in one of the most unlikely Masters 1000 finals you will ever see.

Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech both endured the tournament of their lives, defeating huge names between them on their way to the final. Rinderknech defeated the likes of Alex Michelsen, Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev on his way to the final, but was unable to go that one extra step, just losing out to Vacherot.

The Monegasque was not even on the shortlist to qualify for the tournament, only sneaking in when Joao Fonseca and Luca Nardi pulled out of the event. He used this rare opportunity to great use, having only played three Masters 1000 events before with them all being in his home country of Monaco. His route to the final was slightly easier than his cousin's, but he still had to take down Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Mahac, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. He became the lowest ranked Masters 1000 finalist, and ultimately the lowest to have succeeded in one, rising up the rankings to a new high of 40th in the world.

The pair have always been close, growing up together on and off the court. Vacherot may have not become a professional tennis player if Rinderknech did not convince him to travel to Texas to continue his training over in the States. They have played doubles together, and poetically took to the court ahead of their final showdown to warm-up. After Rinderknech completed his comeback win against Medvedev, Vacherot was one of the first people to congratulate him, walking onto the same court that they would be battling on 24 hours later.

Their bond was represented after the 26-year-old clinched the title, as the duo embraced with a huge hug at the net. It became a lot more emotional when accepting the trophies, with the Frenchman overcoming with emotion and he said a special message to his younger cousin.

"For Valentin, my love cousin. To Valentin, my love. This is the brotherhood between cousins. Bravo, it's great. Two cousins are stronger than one. You won today, bravo. I gave my all, I couldn't do more. I'm so happy for you. I hope we'll have more. It's just the beginning, bravo. I love you," he said after the match.

While this is a very rare occurrence, it has previously happened before where two family members meet up in the final. The 1981 Stockholm Open final saw brothers Gene and Sandy Mayer battle out on the court for bragging rights, with Gene coming out on top in straight sets. 10 years later, the McEnroe brothers faced off in Chicago, with John McEnroe defeating Patrick to claim the title.

Over on the WTA, a more prominent rivalry between Serna and Venus Williams is the most well-known family clash. The pair dominated the women's tennis scene over the span of two decades, collecting 30 Grand Slams between them, four of them coming consecutively between 2002-2003, in which Serna won all four. They were also effective in doubles, winning all 14 finals they made together.

Out of all the final matchups, this Shanghai Masters one is by far the most unlikeliest. Neither of them had even made a quarter-final in a Masters 1000 event, but both decided that this was the event where they would make that historic run, sweeping everyone aside and spurring each other on to glory.

Albeit Rinderknech then started to cramp in the ceremony as could be seen below albeit he just started laughing instead of helping him. Certainly with that cousin bond.