Lindeknych beats Medvedev, faces cousin Vaccello in final, turns Shanghai into Hollywood | ATP Tour
Shanghai
Lindeknych defeated Medvedev and faced his cousin Vaccello in the final, turning Shanghai into Hollywood
Frenchman reaches first ATP Masters 1000 final
October 11, 2025
Zhang Lintao/Getty Images
Arthur Lindeknych defeated Daniil Medvedev in three sets in Shanghai on Saturday to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
Written by ATP Staff
The story of the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters is perfect for a Hollywood script.
Two cousins, Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot, will compete for the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 title of the season. Earlier on Saturday, after Vaccello defeated record-breaking four-time champion Novak Djokovic, Lindeknych beat 2019 Shanghai champion Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to make the final a family affair.
“In our best dreams, we couldn’t have dreamed this, so I can’t even say it was a dream because I don’t think anyone in our family dreamed of it,” Rinderknech said. “So it wasn’t a dream, it was just a dream that came out of nowhere. We started to believe it, I would say, in the quarter-finals, maybe…
“Now that we’re here and we’ve been through so many games, somehow we are [two] Guys were at the end, so it was unbelievable. ”
The scene after Medvedev’s double fault ended the match was unforgettable. Lindekneci fell to the ground to celebrate, and Vacherot, who returned to the center of the court to watch the end of the game, lowered his head in shock. Vaccello later walked into the courtroom for an emotional embrace with his cousin.
An ecstatic Rinderknech signed to the TV cameras: “What now???!!!”
It’s a family showdown 🙌
Arthur Rinderknech to face cousin Valentin Vacherot in 2025 @SH_Rolex Masters Final!#rolexshanghaimasters pic.twitter.com/HwNJF5rb0V
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 11, 2025
The Frenchman became the ninth French player to reach the ATP Masters 1000 final. This is the 30-year-old’s first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final and he will now compete in his second ATP Tour final after failing in Adelaide in 2022.
But for a while, his thoughts were more about helping his cousin than making it to the finals himself. Former world No. 1 Medvedev started well, breaking his opponent’s serve in the first set to lead 1-1. The 2019 Shanghai champion seems determined to reach the Masters 1000 final for the first time this season.
“I lost the first set. It was very humid again tonight. I played the last two games during the day and even though it was a little hot, it was a lot drier, and tonight it was really humid. The ball was really slow,” Lindeknech said. “I didn’t get a point with Daniel and I was almost dead after one set and I thought, you know what, maybe I’m going to lose, but I’m going to fight like crazy so I’m going to make him tired tomorrow and at least I’m going to help Val try to get a little bit ahead physically, at least at the beginning of the match.”
The 30-year-old took a 2-0 lead in the second set with a timely lob and the fight suddenly began. According to Infosys ATP statistics, Lindekneich saved all nine break points in the final two sets to swing the match in his favour.
The Frenchman was particularly brave at 3-3 in the deciding set, saving two break points with a strong serve on the catwalk. Lindeknech then held serve at 4-4, laying the foundation for the biggest victory of his career, and he finally made the switch.
Medvedev saved a match point with an audacious serve, but double-faulted when trying to serve again on the second match point he faced. Rinderknech has risen to No. 28 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will climb to No. 22 if he lifts the trophy on Sunday.
No matter what happens, it’s safe to say that Lindeknech and Vaccello will never forget their title fight. The cousins played college tennis together at Texas A&M University, and now they will compete for one of the most important championships in the sport.
