Cameron Norrie was able to get the better of Carlos Alcaraz for the biggest win of his career at the Paris Masters on Tuesday, but the confidence and form of Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot proved too difficult to overcome less than 48 hours later.
Vacherot, 26, produced the best fairytale of the season this month when he stunned the tennis world by beating his French cousin Arthur Rinderknech to win the Shanghai Masters as a qualifier, and he is showing no signs of slowing down in the aftermath. A 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win against Norrie on Thursday takes him through to the quarter-finals in Paris and puts him on track for a top-32 seeding at January’s Australian Open.
There was not necessarily any hangover for Norrie, 30, after the physical and mental exertions involved in beating Alcaraz for the first win of his career against a world No1. He played well against Vacherot and posted better numbers in several statistical categories, including 17 unforced errors to his opponent’s 31.
The difference was that Vacherot stepped up in the key moments. Despite winning four fewer points during the entire match, he crucially converted the only break point he brought up against Norrie while also saving five on his own serve. It is a sign of the belief Vacherot has in himself under pressure.
Vacherot represents Monaco but has received significant support from the crowd in Paris
MOHAMMED BADRA/EPA
“This is a really, really big performance,” Vacherot said. “I think that was my best match because even though I won way easier against [Jiri] Lehecka in the first round [Vacherot won 6-1, 6-3], Cam was really tough. He just makes you hit a ton of balls and makes you run. You have to be so aggressive if you want to win, so I am really proud how I handled the hot moments in the match.”
Although Vacherot represents Monaco, this tournament on French soil is essentially like a home tournament for him. He received a main-draw wild card from the French federation, because the entry cut-off came before his success in Shanghai, and is enjoying a lot of support from a passionate crowd clearly appreciative of his rapid rise.
The atmosphere clearly spurred Vacherot on during the key points against Norrie and he often gestured towards the crowd with his arms to further raise the noise level. Norrie sarcastically tried the same towards the end of the first set after hitting an unreturnable first serve and was loudly booed.
Norrie actually won more points in the match, but Vacherot stepped up in the key moments
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Vacherot had contested a long three-set match on Wednesday, beating his cousin Rinderknech for the second time in three weeks after playing him in the Shanghai Masters final, but his fitness held up against Norrie to see out a 12th win in his past 13 matches. He is now projected to reach No30 in the world rankings, only weeks after he was at a lowly No204.
“I’ve been training, trying, working on everything possible,” Vacherot said. “Everything is clicking now. It’s just the work of many, many, many years, even since my five years in [American] college and four years on tour [the lower levels]. Pure work. I would never have thought it would all pay off this way but it does.”
This is not the end of Norrie’s season as he still has one more scheduled tournament at next week’s Moselle Open in Metz. Already, though, he has almost certainly done enough to be seeded for the Australian Open at a projected ranking of No27.