Valentin Vacherot’s life changed when he won the Shanghai Masters as a qualifier earlier this month, shooting up from No. 204 in the world into the top 40.
He’s now back to winning ways at the Paris Masters, storming past 14th seed Jiri Lehecka in under an hour. And Vacherot is already looking forward to being a top player going into the 2026 season, which will allow him to make his debut at some of the sport’s biggest events.
“Well, when you’re breaking in the top 50, you don’t have to ask questions about the schedule anymore,” he explained.
“When you have a few ATP 250s, you might wonder which one you’re going to get into, but in Australia I played the quallies, and reaching the main draw now and being there ahead of time, it’s wonderful.
“Indian Wells, Acapulco, and the whole tour, everything, all tournaments, this is going to be exceptional, and I’m looking forward to it so much.”