Shanghai Masters is where tennis dreams become real. Valentin Vacherot grabbed headlines Saturday after stunning four-time champion Novak Djokovic. In a breathtaking display, he clinched the match 6-3, 6-4, and stormed into his first Masters 1000 final. On top of that, he was set to face his own cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, for the title. The two shared an emotional hug once the match wrapped up. Now, as the final ends, the World No. 204 has pulled off the impossible once more.

Sunday’s showdown was a true family affair. Vacherot rallied from behind to defeat his cousin and former college partner, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, grabbing his first ATP-level trophy. With that win, the World No. 204 from Monaco has become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion ever. Did he ever imagine being the last man standing when all this began?

Faced with that question, Valentin Vacherot didn’t hide his emotions. “It’s just all crying. It’s unreal what just happened. I have no idea what’s happening right now. I’m not in a dream. It’s just crazy. I’m so happy about my performance these past two weeks. I wanna thank everyone who put a brick in my career from the beginning. It’s really tough that there has to be one loser today. I think there’s just two winners today. One family that won. For the sport of tennis, the story is just unreal. I wish there could be two winners. Unfortunately there’s only one. For myself, I’m really happy that it’s me.” The Monegasque player soaked in the moment.

There’s even a hint of how the 26-year-old might’ve manifested this wild run. Earlier, a screenshot surfaced from his messages with a friend. When his friend said, “It will come,” Vacherot replied, “Yea I know. I’m gonna go take my chance in Shanghai Q’s because a sick run can come any second.” His grit in Shanghai made those words prophetic.

In two electrifying weeks, he became the lowest-ranked finalist since 1990. Right out of the qualifiers, he tore through Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, and Tallon Griekspoor, becoming Monaco’s first Masters 1000 quarterfinalist ever. Then came the upsets: Holger Rune went down, followed by a jaw-dropping win over four-time champion Djokovic, booking Vacherot’s spot in the title fight.