Patrick Kypson, former college teammate of Rinderknech and Vacherot, is writing his own perseverance story

Definitely a great time to be an Aggie. I think it's always a good time.

By now, Texas A&M University’s impact on the ATP scene is apparent following the tour’s fairytale story of the year. Earlier this month, Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot, who followed cousin Arthur Rinderknech to College Station, Texas before each pursued pro careers, won a family affair to cap a magical title run as a qualifier at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Patrick Kypson was among those watching the unexpected final pairing duel it out for an ATP Masters 1000 trophy. He had his reasons to tune in.

As an incoming freshman in 2018, it was Kypson who topped the singles ladder for the Steve Denton-led Aggies on his way to earning ITA National Rookie of the Year honors. The Durham, N.C. native played doubles with both Rinderknech and Vacherot for the SEC school, and even roomed with the Frenchman, building a brotherhood-like connection.

When his two former teammates took the microphone in Shanghai, Kypson couldn’t help but be moved by what had unfolded.

“It kind of brought tears to my eyes, watching those two guys play in the final and especially the trophy ceremony after. I got pretty emotional watching that,” Kypson tells TENNIS.com by phone.

“I used to live with Arthur at school, so we're obviously extremely close and I'm pretty much just as close with Val. It was just a cool moment for me and shows how slim the margins are between levels of pro tennis.”

I'm very self-motivated, so I never have any problem working through whatever obstacles are in the way.

Much was rightly praised about Vacherot’s determination to not give up on his potential to become a Top 100 player, after dropping as low as No. 267 this June. Kypson, to his deserved credit as well, is writing his own perseverance story.

In April 2024, the American achieved his career-high ranking of No. 133. Twelve months later, he had fallen outside of the Top 450. An early-season injury Kypson initially misjudged intensified his drop, sending him back to the drawing board in more ways than one.

“I broke my left foot in Australia and I actually didn't know that I'd fully fractured it until the following week when I was competing in Portugal,” he recalls. “After that event, I had surgery and was in a boot for six weeks, out of competition for about three and a half months. It was the fourth surgery of my career, so it was a really difficult time for me.

“You see your hard work from the year before go down the drain, but I tried to just stay super process-oriented and control the things that I that I could control. I think ultimately I did a pretty good job of that.”

The results speak for themselves on that front. Just three tournaments into his comeback, Kypson picked up a pair of ATP Challenger Tour title on two different surfaces, at Bogota and Little Rock. In August, he came through the qualifying stage of a 1000-level event for the first time at the Cincinnati Open to cement a Top 200 return.

Shifting indoors for the final quarter of 2025, Kypson has compiled a 14-3 record across his past four events. The latest stop yielded his biggest title to date at the MarketBeat Open in Sioux Falls, S.D, a 100 Challenger.

The No. 5 seed came through a serving battle against Great Britain’s Johannus Monday, in which the only break point converted went Kypson’s way when his opponent hit the contest's lone double fault. The hard-fought 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory vaulted Kypson back to No. 146—and put him atop the standings for the USTA's Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.

“To win a title, it doesn't happen often, so it's always super special. I really like how I've played in Sioux Falls and the direction that I'm going with my game and with my mentality,” he assesses. “Mindset doesn't really change from the usual in terms of the AO Wild Card Challenge or what that may or may not bring.”

🖥️📲 Stream a full replay of Kypson's Sioux Falls victory on Tennis Channel!

Kypson, who enjoys hunting and supports the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, looks to keep hitting targets at his latest Challenger-level tournament in Charlottesville, Va. The third seed begins that quest Tuesday—his 26th birthday—against Daniil Glinka of Estonia. The following day across the Atlantic, Vacherot and Rinderknech are set to cross paths again in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters.

“Definitely an inspiration for me to keep trying to improve day by day and get better in every way so that I can meet those guys where they're at,” says Kypson.

“I still have a lot to work on, but I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made in my game. That's pretty much the only thing that I'm going to be judging myself on going forward, how well I commit to the things that I'm trying to improve upon. And let the chips fall where they will.”