Valentin Vacherot produced a remarkable comeback at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday evening, overturning a difficult position to defeat Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo in three sets, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1…
Playing in front of a home crowd, the Monegasque showed resilience and composure to recover from a set down and a precarious start to the second. After a tightly contested opening set slipped away, Vacherot found himself under immediate pressure early in the second, facing break points that could have left him trailing heavily. Instead, that moment proved decisive.
Drawing energy from the stands, he regained momentum and began to dictate play, going on an extraordinary run that saw him win 11 consecutive games to completely turn the match around.
Speaking afterwards, he highlighted the crucial role of the crowd, explaining that their support helped lift him through the most difficult moments and gave him the belief to push forward when the match was slipping away.
The victory sets up a challenging second-round clash against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, one of the tournament’s top seeds and last year’s finalist. Vacherot acknowledged the scale of the task ahead, but will take confidence from a performance that demonstrated both fighting spirit and growing maturity on the big stage.
Image: Valentin Vacherot Instagram