Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Vacherot preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and betting tips

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Novak Djokovic vs (Q) Valentin Vacherot

Date: October 11, 2025

Tournament: Rolex Shanghai Masters

Round: Semifinal

Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai, China

Category: Masters 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $9,193,540

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Vacherot preview

Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters 2025. (Photo: Getty)

24-time Major champion Novak Djokovic will face qualifier Valentin Vacherot in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters 2025.

Djokovic commenced his quest for a fifth title in Shanghai with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic. Three-set wins over Yannick Hanfmann and Jaume Munar put him in the quarterfinals, where he was up against Zizou Bergs. The Serb put himself in the lead with a break of serve in the first set.

While Djokovic missed five set points on his opponent's serve in the eighth game, he got the job done himself in the next game to claim the opener. He struck first in the second set as well, snagging a break of serve to go 5-4 up. He then failed to close out the contest but bounced back by bagging the next couple of games to secure a 6-3, 7-5 win.

Vacherot came through the qualifying rounds and beat Laslo Djere in the first round to make a winning debut in Shanghai. He scored a slew of upsets over the next three rounds, ousting 14th seed Alexander Bublik, 20th seed Tomas Machac and 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor to set up a quarterfinal showdown with 10th seed Holger Rune.

Vacherot got outplayed with ease in the first set to concede it. While he squandered his lead in the second set, he recovered to claim the set with a strong showing in the tie-break. He broke Rune's serve in the seventh game of the decider and held on to that advantage until the end to wrap up a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 comeback win.

Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Vacherot head-to-head

This will be their first meeting, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Vacherot odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Novak Djokovic	-750	+1.5 (-3000)	Over 21.5 (-110)
Valentin Vacherot	+475	-1.5 (+725)	Under 21.5 (-130)

(Odds via BetMGM)

Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Vacherot prediction

Valentin Vacherot at the Shanghai Masters 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Djokovic has advanced to the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament for the 80th time. He also became the oldest semifinalist in history at this level. After back-to-back three-set wins, he had an easier time in the previous round, dealing with Bergs in straight sets. His serve did most of the heavy lifting, winning 80 percent of points behind his first deliveries.

Vacherot is having the best week of his career. Currently ranked outside the top 200, he will be inside the top 100 next week thanks to his run here. He scored the first top 20 win of his career by beating Bublik, and followed it up with his latest win over Rune. He won 65 percent of his first serve points and struck 32 winners against 22 unforced errors in the previous round.

However, Vacherot's fairytale run is likely to conclude here. Djokovic has never lost to a player ranked outside the top 20 in Shanghai, going 26-0 against them so far. The disparity in their results is too massive to ignore, and the Serb is the favorite to win against most players at this point in this career.

Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic vs Valentin Vacherot betting tips

Tip 1: Novak Djokovic to win.

Tip 2: The match will have at least 20 games.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for four years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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