An out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic has tumbled out in Shanghai at the hands of Valentin Vacherot, who claimed a stunning victory to become the lowest-ranked finalist in Masters 1000 history.
Djokovic, bidding for a record-extending 41st Masters title and a first in almost two years this weekend, needed medical timeouts in both sets and received treatment on his lower back from the physio on Saturday.
And the 24-time grand slam champion's physical struggles were ruthlessly exploited by 26-year-old Monegasque qualifier Vacherot, who belied his world ranking of 204 to claim a 6-3 6-4 win in an hour and 43 minutes.
Djokovic, at 38 the oldest man to reach the last four at Masters level, had vomited and collapsed during his previous matches this week as he struggled to overcome the hot and humid conditions.
He refused to discuss his physical condition afterwards, instead heaping praise on Vacherot, who had only beaten two top-50 players before this tournament, which he entered as an alternate for qualifying.
"I want to congratulate Valentin for reaching his first Masters final," the fourth seed said. "Going from qualification, it's an amazing story. I told him at the net that he's had an amazing tournament.
"More so, his attitude is very good, and his game was amazing as well. So it's all about him. I wish him all the best in the finals, and the better player won today."
Vacherot, who could face cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final if the Frenchman defeats former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the other semi, showed few, if any, nerves against his vaunted opponent.
He thumped 23 winners and sealed the best win of his career to continue his fairytale run from his second match point. Vacherot is also guaranteed to leap into the world's top-60 next week.
"This is just crazy," Vacherot said on court afterwards. "It was an hour and 40 minutes of pure joy, even though not many people wanted me to keep going. He's really appreciated here.
"I got a bit lost in all his titles when they were announcing him, but it was an unreal experience. Now I'm probably just going to enjoy the win tonight and think about the final tomorrow."
With agencies
