The extreme playing conditions at the Shanghai Masters this year have produced some jaw-dropping results, and Tallon Griekspoor found himself on the fortunate side of one. What could have been a routine straight-sets loss turned into a memorable victory when his opponent, defending champion and tournament favorite Jannik Sinner, struggled with cramps in the deciding set and retired, handing Griekspoor a 6-7, 7-5, 3-2 win.
In tennis, fortunes can change quickly, and for Griekspoor, the turnaround has been dramatic. He entered the Shanghai Masters on a seven-match losing streak and had recently spoken about lacking confidence and struggling to enjoy the game. Now, he boasts a win over world No. 2 Jannik Sinner on hard court, a feat no one besides Carlos Alcaraz has managed in 2025. This victory also makes him the first non-top-20 player to defeat Sinner on hard court since August 2023.
Griekspoor’s only previous top-5 win of his career also came at a Masters event earlier this year in Indian Wells, where he upset top seed Alexander Zverev and advanced to the quarterfinals. That remains the only Masters quarterfinal appearance of his career.
While Tallon Griekspoor just experienced the best day of his career, Valentin Vacherot is enjoying the best two weeks of his career at the Shanghai Masters. Making a rare appearance in the main draw of a tour-level event, he advanced through the qualifying rounds and then defeated Alexander Bublik and Tomas Machac (via retirement) to reach the round of 16 on his debut at this tournament.
This is a huge result for Vacherot, who had won just one main-draw match in tour-level events before this week. In Shanghai alone, he has already collected three such wins in the past fortnight. Seeking his first quarterfinal on the main tour, he enters this clash with a solid 4-4 record against top-50 players, including four victories in his last five encounters.
This is precisely the kind of result that could reinvigorate the Monégasque player’s stalled career. Having spent a prolonged period outside the top 200 and struggled for direction this year, this run now brings him to the cusp of a return to the top 150.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Had they met in the opening round, with questions over Tallon Griekspoor’s form and mental state, Valentin Vacherot might have had an equal chance. However, things have changed dramatically following Griekspoor’s massive win over Jannik Sinner. On the back of that result, he enters this clash as the strong favorite, even if his current level is still far below the peak he showed earlier this year.
