Match Report
Vacherot shocks Musetti in Monte-Carlo, makes Monegasque history
27-year-old saved a set point in first set
April 08, 2026
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Valentin Vacherot defeats Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets Wednesday in Monte-Carlo.
By ATP Staff
Valentin Vacherot knows a thing or two about special victories. The Monegasque saved a set point in the opening set to earn a 7-6(6), 7-5 win against fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Wednesday.
With the triumph, Vacherot became the first Monegasque since his coach and half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, to reach the third round in The Principality. This is also his second Top-5 win since his semi-final victory against Novak Djokovic at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in October.
“The emotions went [up and] down a bit,” Vacherot said. “If someone told me that my first Top-5 win, second after Shanghai, will be here on a night session on the centre court I have been hitting on since I was six years old, it’s nothing, nothing can be done.”
Balleret advanced to the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2006 when he fell to then-World No. 1 Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-2. Vacherot will aim to go one better when he faces Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
“This is where I learned how to play tennis,” he said. “I needed a set and a half to get on it in the first round. Now my clay court game is back and I am ready to roll.”
Vacherot, who had only one ATP Tour win when he entered Shanghai last year, has now reached the Round of 16 in four of the past five ATP Masters 1000 events he has played. The 27-year-old went on to claim the dream title in Shanghai as a World No. 204 to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history. Vacherot now holds a 16-6 record at Masters 1000 events, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
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In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 2025 finalist Musetti, Vacherot rode home support and thrived in crucial moments. The 27-year-old saved a set point in the first-set tie-break to edge ahead, then, despite dropping serve while trying to close the match at 5-4 in the second set, responded immediately with a break of his own before sealing the victory in two hours and nine minutes.
Overall, Vacherot saved three of the five break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and finished having won 65 per cent of (15/23) of the points at the net. With his upset win, the Monegasque is now up to No. 23 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.