Swiss Indoors Basel Round-Up: Taylor Fritz halts Vacherot’s streak; Ruud and Auger-Alaissime keep Finals hopes alive

Day Three of the Swiss Indoor Open was disputed, and the second-round matchups were finalized, highlighted by a notable victory for Taylor Fritz against the recent Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot, in what was the match of the day.

On the other hand, Casper Ruud and Félix Auger-Aliassime continue to dream about the possibility of fighting for the last spot in the ATP Finals and extended their winning streaks after securing titles last weekend.

Casper Ruud (No. 11) secured the victory in his return to the courts at the Vienna Open, overcoming Frenchman Quentin Halys (No. 78) in straight sets 6-1, 7-6(3), marking his 5th consecutive win. The Norwegian is coming off lifting his 14th trophy at the Stockholm Open last weekend, defeating rivals like Sebastian Korda, Denis Shapovalov, and Ugo Humbert in a notable final—where he had conceded just three points on his serve.

This time, the Norwegian showed his high level on the European indoor courts, taking control of the match from the start with an almost perfect first set. The former World No. 2 got an early break and quickly took a 3-0 lead. Although Halys managed to defend his service game only once, it wasn't enough to offer opposition on return, and Ruud maintained his composure to take the set 6-1, securing his second break and winning 84% of his service points after just 23 minutes.

The second set tightened up, with Halys showing more resolve on his serve. The Frenchman recovered an early break in the third game and quickly responded with a break back. Halys clung to his serve, with a total of 9 aces and 24 winners—compared to Ruud's 6 aces and 17 winners. Everything was ultimately decided in the tie-break, where Ruud showed his quality to close out a comfortable victory 6-1, 7-6(3) in one hour and 16 minutes. In the second round, he will face wildcard Stan Wawrinka, while also making his return to the Top-10 in the live rankings, currently sitting at No. 9.

Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 12) continues his impeccable form at the end of the year, with 16 wins in his last 19 appearances—two of his losses being against Sinner. The Canadian is coming off championing the European Open Brussels—defeating Jiří Lehečka in the final—and remains active, with a live chance of competing for a spot in the ATP Finals.

The Canadian once again overcame his compatriot Gabriel Diallo (No. 41) with a convincing 6-2, 7-5, demonstrating his great ability when it comes to indoors. Félix has 7 indoor hardcourt titles and four other finals played—including the Swiss Indoors title in 2022 and 2023.

The 25-year-old star quickly took the lead with his first break opportunity in the third game, and holding onto his serve, got other chances minutes later in the seventh game. Auger-Aliassime showed his greater experience to take the first set by a comfortable 6-2, winning 70% of his service points, against only 58% for Diallo. In the second set, after a start with cross-breaks and several games that presented opportunities for both, Auger-Aliassime saved a couple of set points at 4-5 and accelerated in the final part of the match, taking three consecutive games and securing the victory 6-2, 7-5. In the second round, he will face former US Open champion Marin Čilić.

Taylor Fritz (No. 4) overcame the complicated challenge of World No. 39 Valentin Vacherot, the recent Shanghai Masters champion who entered the tournament via a wildcard. The American had to fight for three sets to defeat the most recent Masters-1000 champion, snapping the nine-match winning streak he brought from the Asian tournament.

Vacherot went from being unknown to one of the major names on the Tour thanks to his recent title—in an incredible campaign where he defeated rivals like Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic to win his first Masters 1000 title. Against Fritz—this time in Basel—he managed to take a one-set lead 6-4, but couldn't maintain the advantage against a Fritz who was impeccable on serve.

In the second set, Vacherot saved from 3-5 down and up to six set points before everything went to the tie-break, where Fritz prevailed 7-6(4). Heading into the third set, Fritz took the initial lead—up 4-2 with a break—but Vacherot managed to level again. When everything seemed headed for a tie-break, Fritz capitalized on the tension of the moment and secured the definitive break in the final breath, closing out the victory 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5.