With his much-anticipated homecoming rapidly going down in flames against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Valentin Vacherot turned to a refuge of last resort: the fans.<\/p>\n
Down a set and a break and staring at another break point, the Monegasque native threw his arms in the air after grinding out an all-court point that kept him alive, drawing a massive roar from the crowd.<\/p>\n
As if discovering a dormant advantage, Vacherot raised his arms twice more after winning the next two points from deuce to close out the game. It was the start of an 11-game surge that underpinned his 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win as fans – including cousin Arthur Rinderknech – cheered him loudly all the way to the finish line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have won this match if it wasn\u2019t in Monaco with you,” he told the crowd during his on-court interview. “I really struggled, it wasn\u2019t very pretty. I gave everything I had. And then suddenly everything clicked when I saved that double-break point in the second set. After that I found my freedom. So really, thank you \u2014 and I\u2019m going to need you again\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He next meets 2025 finalist Lorenzo Musetti.<\/p>\n