Valentin Vacherot’s Shanghai miracle seals his Breakthrough Player of the Year crown

Valentin Vacherot has been crowned the Breakthrough Player of the Year at the ATP Awards after becoming the year's biggest breakout star following his unexpected title at the Shanghai Masters. The Monegasque player won his first Masters 1000 title coming all the way from the qualifiers while ranked outside the top 200.

The 27-year-old beat out the other nominees—Jack Draper, Joao Fonseca, and Jakub Mensik—who were selected by a vote of the International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA). The final decision was then made by a vote of the 29 members of the ATP No. 1 Club, which gathers all players who have reached the summit of the rankings during the Open Era.

Vacherot's run in Shanghai was a historic feat difficult to repeat. Amidst the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, and a consistent top 10, few would have imagined an unseeded player taking home a Masters 1000 title. Much less a qualifier who was barely world No. 204 at the start of the tournament.

Along the way, he defeated rivals such as Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune, and Novak Djokovic to reach his first ATP-level and Masters 1000 final. There, he met another unexpected finalist: Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech—Vacherot's own cousin—who had also navigated an improbable path to his first Masters 1000 final.

Vacherot ended up prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become the champion in Shanghai, winning 9 consecutive matches including his qualifying duels. The title resulted in a rapid jump in the rankings from No. 204 to the top 40, and a few weeks later he broke into the top 30 for the first time.

Among the four nominees, Vacherot was the lowest-ranked and the oldest compared to Draper (No. 10), Mensik (No. 19), and Fonseca (No. 24). However, Vacherot made the biggest leap in the rankings—and was probably the least expected to have such huge growth—considering the other three have been touted as standout talents from an early age. Mensik himself had won the distinction in 2024, an award previously received in past years by players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, or Holger Rune.

“I’m super happy to have won the Breakthrough of the Year award for the 2025 season,” said Vacherot after the announcement. “It’s such an amazing achievement for myself and for the whole team, and it’s the product of all the work we have put in all these years."

“All this work came into the light a little bit in October in Shanghai and Paris, and now I have my highest ranking. I’m really happy to have won the award and hopefully this will bring many more for the following years. Thanks again to the ATP and see you in 2026.”

Vacherot's campaign in Shanghai was not his only great result, as a few weeks later he corroborated his great form by reaching the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters. On that path, he once again defeated his cousin Rinderknech, as well as rivals like Jiri Lehecka and Cameron Norrie. He was eventually eliminated by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals, but he secured his first career entry into the top 30.