Valentin Vacherot defeated Alex de Minaur at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters to continue his remarkable run at at his home event.

The Monegasque star battled to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory against world No 6 de Minaur in two hours and 24 minutes in the quarter-finals at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Vacherot had already made history by becoming the first player from Monaco to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious clay-court event at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

The world No 23 broke de Minaur twice in both the first and third sets, while he saved 14 of the 17 break points he faced in the match, including six in the decider. It is Vacherot’s third win against a player ranked in the top 10.

The 27-year-old has become the first player to reach their first two ATP Tour semi-finals at Masters 1000 level tournaments. He won his maiden career title in stunning fashion at the 2025 Shanghai Masters.

Vacherot will face world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in a blockbuster semi-final on Saturday.

ATP Tour News

Carlos Alcaraz reacts as he eclipses Djokovic, Nadal, Federer with milestone at Monte Carlo Masters

Joao Fonseca’s Monte Carlo Masters prize money & ranking points revealed after Alexander Zverev loss

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

In his on-court interview with Tennis TV, Vacherot was asked how it sounded to be in the semi-finals with Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.

“(Laughs) That sounds amazing, that sounds amazing. It’s such an honour for me to be part of the semi-finals around the three best players of the last few years,” said Vacherot.

“And yeah, just can’t wait for tomorrow, and to have the chance to play Carlos in my hometown, is amazing.”

Vacherot added: “I mean, all the guys up there chanting, those are all my best friends since I was nine, 10, 11, 12 years old… high school, middle school with them.

“It’s rare for a player to have this chance to have that many people around. All the members of the club sitting all round here in the boxes… I can name probably a thousand faces in the crowd, and I’m just so lucky to have a tournament in my club.”

Vacherot’s ranking rise

Vacherot began the Monte Carlo Masters at his career-high ranking of world No 23 on 1,818 points.

With the 350 points he has earned for reaching the semi-finals, Vacherot has jumped six places to a projected new milestone position of 17th in the Live ATP Rankings.

If Vacherot were to defeat Alcaraz to reach the final, he would climb to 14th, while securing the title at his home tournament would lift him to 12th place.

READ NEXT: Monte Carlo Masters: Jannik Sinner gives candid verdict on his level ahead of Alexander Zverev clash