In 2021, Emma Raducanu stunned the world with a rare phenomenon. After passing the qualifying round with three straight wins, she went on to create history with her maiden slam triumph at the US Open. What was more impressive in her dream run was the fact that she didn’t drop a set throughout her campaign. That was one stupendous feat no one has ever achieved. However, a former American pro believes the recent Shanghai Masters victory of Valentin Vacherot deserves more praise than Raducanu’s US Open victory. As a result, Raducanu’s fans have become slightly irked.

On October 14, during an episode of the Nothing Major Podcast, former ATP pro John Isner shared a unique perspective on what he thinks of Emma Raducanu and Valentin Vacherot’s respective wins. Prior to the Shanghai Masters, Vacherot was 204-ranked qualifier at the event. However, he beat the likes of Holger Rune and later Novak Djokovic, too, before lifting his maiden Masters 1000 title. When co-host Sam Querrey asked, “Is this a more impressive run than Raducanu qualifying and winning the US Open or can you compare them?” Isner had a pretty interesting take.

According to Isner, Vacherot’s feat is more commendable. Giving his justification, he began, “I think it is more impressive, yes.” He continued, “(For Raducanu) it’s a bigger story because it’s the US Open, but I think this is more improbable than what she did.” Per Isner, the Monegasque being a qualifier and winning the Masters is something extremely rare. “I am giving it to Vacherot there. It’s just unheard of.”

However, it appears that Raducanu’s fans are not at all in sync with Isner. In fact, many of them think the comparison itself is unfair given the magnitude of wins for both Raducanu and Vacherot.

While the WTA star won a slam, the other took home a Masters 1000 trophy. The Brit who was ranked 150th, four years ago, beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez to complete her fairytale run. On the other hand, Vacherot bested his own cousin brother Arthur Rinderknech last week to script history for himself.

Fans criticize John Isner’s comparison of Emma Raducanu with Valentin Vacherot

One agitated fan wrote, “People find literally any reason to s**t on Emma. What she achieved will probably never be beaten.” They wanted to convey the fact that the Brit’s accomplishment was extremely rare. Interestingly, no other player has been able to replicate her milestone yet.

Another fan echoed similar sentiments saying, “Ridiculous claim. The best players weren’t even there”. They emphasized on the fact that Vacherot didn’t get to play the best opponents in Shanghai. Yes, he played Djokovic in the semis but Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Taylor Fritz were not there at the tournament. Meanwhile, another person took a jab at Isner and wrote, “At age when Isner was figuring out that tennis is more than just a serve, Raducanu won a slam”

A keen-eyed fan noticed that maybe Isner wasn’t correct in his opinion. According to the fan, “Emma did what no one had ever done or has since done and that is win a grand slam as a qualifier. Vacherot was not the first person to win a master’s 1000 as a qualifier. There were two other people before him I think. So I believe Emma’s run was more impressive!”

Perhaps the fan is right indeed. That’s because Vacherot is definitely not the first-ever qualifier to clinch a Masters trophy. He happens to be the second player to do so. Before him, ex-Spanish ATP pro Roberto Carretero had achieved this feat. During the 1996 Hamburg Open (a Masters 1000 tournament), Carretero beat compatriot and former ATP icon Alex Corretja 2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 in the final.

Lastly, another individual simply admired Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph. “Nothing is better than what Emma did that was extraordinary”