Follow us on Google Discover Valentin Vacherot is on top of the world right now after his shocking Shanghai Masters win over the weekend.
Vacherot has become the third qualifier to ever win a Masters 1000 event and has provided the sport of tennis with a very romantic underdog story.
Roger Federer watched on as Vacherot won the Shanghai event, and it has provided tennis fans across the globe with a huge talking point.
Vacherot will now hope to go for Grand Slam glory next year after rising through the ranks and moving into 40th spot on the world rankings.
Naturally, when something as huge as this happens in sport, it gets compared to other stories of a similar nature, and that’s what has happened after a big win for Vacherot.
Photo by WUHAN OPEN OFFICIAL 2025/VCG via Getty ImagesJohn Isner compares Valentin Vacherot win to Emma Raducanu
In 2021, Raducanu stunned the world by coming through qualifiers at the US Open to win 10 straight matches and lift the title.
Naturally, this win secured by Vacherot has led to some pundits and tennis experts to compare the two situations.
John Isner believes that Vacherot’s achievement is better than that secured by Raducanu and believes what he’s managed to do is pretty much unheard of.
He said on the Nothing Major podcast: “I think it is more impressive, yes. (For Raducanu) it’s a bigger story because it’s the US Open, but I think this is more improbable than what she did.
“But her winning the US Open makes it a bigger story, even though this story is really big in the tennis world.
“I am giving it to Vacherot there. It’s just unheard of.”
Steve Johnson doesn’t agree with Isner on Valentin Vacherot
Although Vacherot’s achievement was superb and only two other players have managed it in history, so was Raducanu’s at the US Open.
Although Raducanu hasn’t won anything since that night in 2021, she is still a reputable player and is once again making strides to improve her ranking after a host of operations.
Raducanu is back up to 28th in the WTA world rankings and 2026 could be a big one for her if she can stay fit and healthy.
Raducanu withdrew from Shanghai last week but Johnson has still got her back when it comes to whether her US Open win is better than Vacherot’s win.
He said: ” I think time will tell. Raducanu has still been good. She has not won any titles, but at least she has been relevant.
“This guy gets to 40 and he is going to be in all these ATP Tournaments next year, but if he doesn’t win any matches, he goes to Shanghai and drops back to 300 last year. Then you are like, ‘That was the craziest thing for one week, this guy got hotter and got a title’.
“We will see what happens in the next 12 months, but he’s going to have a chance to play all the Masters series and the 250s.”