Valentin Vacherot made an impressive debut at the Paris Masters. The Monegasque, who conquered the Shanghai Masters ranked 204th, received a wild card for the main draw in the FrenchCapital.
Carried by a massive boost, Vacherot ousted a top-20 rival, Jiri Lehecka, 6-1, 6-3 in 54 minutes, producing his career-best performance and sailing into the next round.
Valentin dominated on serve and return, controlling the scoreboard and setting the second-round duel against his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, in the repeat of the title match in Shanghai.
Vacherot landed 18 winners and nine unforced errors. He outplayed his rival from the baseline and at the net in a comfortable victory. The Monegasque dropped seven points in his games and faced no break points.
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Lehecka struggled big time. He lost almost half of the points in his games and experienced four breaks from five chances presented to his rival. Valentin served well in the opener and kept the pressure on the other side.
Jiri missed a forehand in the second game of the duel and experienced a break. Vacherot made another push on the return in the fourth game and secured a break that sent him 4-0 in front.
He made another strong attack in the fifth game for a comfortable hold and landed a service winner at 5-1 to secure the first part of the duel in 24 minutes. The Monegasque held at love in the second game of the second set with an ace.
He passed Lehecka at the net in the next one and clinched a break that sent him in front. The lower-ranked player provided three comfortable holds and controlled the scoreboard.
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Vacherot closed the eighth game at love with an ace for 5-3 and made another push on the return in the next one. He fired a forehand down the line return winner on a match point to seal the deal in style and move into the next round.
