After Arthur Rinderknech struck the final ace to book his spot in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, the Frenchman pointed towards his coaching area, where his cousin Valentin Vacherot was seated, to replicate how his cousin had celebrated the previous day after his win over Holger Rune. Now the two French cousins who once traded rallies on local courts as boys have found themselves preparing to meet in the biggest match of their lives: the final of the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai, marking the first time in the history of the event and probably in tennis that two cousins will contest a final.

Among the two cousins, Vacherot’s advance to the final has been the most unexpected. While Rinderknech’s rise has been measured and methodical, Vacherot, four years younger, found his footing late

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