Tennis: Djokovic Loses To Qualifier In Shanghai Last Four

An injury-hit Novak Djokovic suffered a daze decision by Monegasque qualifier Valentin Vacherot successful the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

Monaco’s Vacherot, who is ranked 204th successful the world, recorded a 6-3 6-4 triumph to go the lowest ranked ATP Masters 1000 finalist successful history.

The 26-year-old volition look either his cousin, the unseeded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, oregon Daniil Medvedev successful Sunday’s final.

“I’m trying to pinch myself, is this real?” said Vacherot, 26.

“To person Novak connected the different broadside of the tribunal was archetypal of each an invaluable acquisition for me. I person a 100 feelings close now.”

Injury has been a occupation each tourney for Djokovic and helium vomited during his erstwhile matches aft struggling with the vigor and humidity.

The issues flared up again successful Saturday’s semi-final with the 38-year-old receiving aesculapian attraction connected respective occasions.

At the commencement of the seventh game, the erstwhile satellite fig 1 had to instrumentality an extended aesculapian break, lying connected his tummy shirtless arsenic a physio attended to his back.

He received attraction again astatine the interruption but battled done into the 2nd set.

Despite visibly struggling, the Serb provided the Shanghai assemblage with hopes of a comeback erstwhile helium moved into a 4-3 pb earlier Vacherot reeled disconnected 3 consecutive games to scope the final.

“I privation to congratulate Valentin for reaching his archetypal Masters final,” Djokovic said.

“Going from qualifications, it’s an astonishing story. I told him astatine the nett that he’s had an astonishing tournament, but much truthful his cognition is precise bully and his crippled was astonishing arsenic well.

“So it’s each astir him.

I privation him each the champion successful the finals and the amended subordinate won today.”

Vacherot, who ensured helium would emergence into the apical 100 for the archetypal clip by defeating Holger Rune successful the quarter-finals, has present climbed 146 spots to satellite fig 58 successful the unrecorded rankings arsenic a effect of his Shanghai run.