French crowd warms to Monaco miracle man Vacherot

Paris fans are warming up to Monaco’s outsider Valentin Vacherot after the surprise Shanghai champion thrilled the local public with Thursday’s  7-6 (4), 6-4 defeat of Cam Norrie.

The Paris Masters third round win sent the British upset winner over top seed Carlos Alcaraz out of the event, with Vacherot next to face Felix Auger-Aliassime

The Canadian stake his claim with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback effort over German Daniel Altmaier.

Vacherot, the ATP No. 40 playing as a wildcard, won his 10th straight match with the knockout of Norrie. FAA has reached the quarter-finals for a sixth consecutive tournament this season. 

Vacherot is pleased with his reception so far in the capital.

“Today I could really arrive on the court playing loose; I could hit hard even though Cam plays very well.

“I managed to fire up the crowd whenever I needed it. They participated in the match as much as they could.”

The Monagasque who is cousins with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech defeated his close relative for the second straight tournament here this week in the second round.

“Anything is possible in tennis. But of course I would have never expected this (title-winning result in China).

“It was a good thing I keep going here, maybe enjoying the matches even more than in Shanghai.”