Arthur Rinderknech will battle against his cousin Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai Masters final! After Vacherot stunned Novak Djokovic, Rinderknech defeated another former champion Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes.
Arthur will compete in his first Masters 1000 final, joining his cousin and fellowTexas A&M Aggies star in the most outstanding title match at this level since 1990!
The Frenchman claimed three points more and made a great comeback after dropping the opener. Rinderknech attacked and landed 47 winners and 40 unforced errors.
He hit more service winners and forged a massive 31-7 lead at the net. Medvedev ruled the baseline, but it was not enough to keep him in contention after losing ground in the closing stages of the duel.
Arthur saved ten of 11 break points and provided three breaks to emerge at the top. Daniil broke his rival in the third game of the match and clinched the opener 6-4, moving closer to his 11th Masters 1000 final.
However, Rinderknech clinched an early break in the second set and denied six break points in back-to-back breaks to remain in front. The Frenchman broke at love in the eighth game, securing the set 6-2 and introducing a decider.
Daniil had a massive chance to build the advantage in games five and seven. He squandered three break points and kept his rival in contention. Medvedev served to stay in the match and hit a double fault on the second match point to propel his rival over the top.
