Valentin Vacherot set to break into Top 20 on ATP rankings after historic Monte Carlo run

It was a very historic day for Valentin Vacherot on Thursday, as he battled back from a set down to beat Hubert Hurkacz, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4, and become the first Monegasque player to reach the quarterfinals of the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in the Open Era.

That’s not just since Monte Carlo became a Masters 1000 event in 1990—that’s since 1969, the first year it was held in the Open Era.

But that’s not the only history he made.

By reaching the quarterfinals this week, Vacherot is projected to break into the Top 20 when the new ATP rankings come out next Monday, the first Monegasque player ever to crack that elite.

Vacherot has had a meteoric rise over the last six months, and it all began in Shanghai last fall, where he famously won the first ATP title of his career—at a Masters 1000, no less—and surged from No. 204 to No. 40 afterwards on October 13th, 2025.

He made his Top 30 debut a few weeks later on November 3rd, 2025, jumping from No. 40 to No. 30 after reaching a second consecutive Masters 1000 quarterfinal indoors in Paris.

And now, after reaching the quarterfinals for a third time in the last five Masters 1000s, he’s projected to rise from his current ranking of No. 23 to No. 19 or No. 20 should his run end here, to No. 17 with a semifinal, to No. 15 with a final and to No. 12 with a title.

Coming into his home event, the 27-year-old was already the highest-ranked Monegasque in ATP rankings history, which dates back to 1973, and now he’s going to become the first player from his country to crack the Top 20, and maybe even the Top 15.

Standing between Vacherot and even more history at his home event will be the world No. 6, Alex de Minaur, who ended the run of Belgian qualifier Alexander Blockx earlier in the day, 7-5, 7-6 (4).

The two will be playing each other for the first time.