Basel
Runner-up Rune off and running
Holger Rune, finalist at the Swiss Indoors two years ago, advanced into the second round for a third consecutive year on Tuesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (3) defeat of Nicolas Jarry.
The Danish fourth seed fell in the 2022 final to Felix Auger-Aliassime as the Canadian claimed the first of back-to-back trophies here.
Rune, coached here a year ago by Boris Becker before that arrangement fell apart, won the 43rd indoor match of his career with his defeat of Chile’s Jarry in 87 minutes.
The Dane wrapped up victory with his 11th ace as he moved into the second round against Swiss wild card Dominic Stricker, who defeated tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 6-4.
Rune, whose best results have come during the autumn indoor season, has now won eight of 10 career Basel matches.
“This is a good court for me,” the winner said. :I broke through in 2022 here.
“Today I felt good from start to finish – nothing spectacular, just super-solid.”
The Dane added: “I had to accept that he would be serving big, I just wanted to control what I could.
“The match against Stricker could be a brutal atmosphere, but I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s good to be back playing and getting some rhythm. I took a week off after the Asian swing.”
Rune earned the lone service break of the evening in the opening game and advanced with 16 winners.
Basel
Federer, Murray, Monfils to farewell retiring Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka will step away from tennis in style on December 19, with a goodbye exhibition with friends Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Gael Monfils.
The 41-year-old treble Grand Slam champion is retiring this season and will play his last Tour dates on home courts at Gstaad the week after Wimbledon and at the Swiss Indoors in Basel in the last week of October.
Wawrinka, the current No. 110 who once stood third in the world, will say goodbye at Geneva’s Palexpo.
It promises to be one of the few times that Federer, who left the game in 2022, will wield a racquet; Murray is currently coaching Brit Jack Draper at Wimbledon while Monfils, 40 in September, is also ending his professional career this season.
The quartet of former ATP rivals and friends will play singles and doubles matches at what iis billed as “One Last Backhand,” a tribute to the monster one-hander of Wawrinka.
Proceeds from the evening will go to Leman Hope Foundation and the Roger Federer Foundation.
Wawrinka is due to begin his 29th and final Wimbledon starting on Monday but faces a big first-round hurdle in Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist against Novak Djokovic.
Wawrinka’s best at the All England Club was a pair of quarter-finals in 2014 and 2015.
Main photo:-Stan Wawrinka played his last Australian Open in January.
ATP
Fonseca fulfills his hype with Basel title
Joao Fonseca lived up to his billing as one of the Next Big Things on the ATP as the Brazilian teenager won the second Tour title of his career with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Swiss Indoors on Sunday.
The South American added Basel honours to a debut title won at the start of the year on his home continent.
Spanish opponent ADF lost the fifth final of his career.
Fonseca claimed the first ATP trophy by a Brazilian since Guga Kuerten won the Cincinnati Masters nearly a quarter of a century ago.”It’s crazy. I want to thank my family and my coaches who helped me achieve this amazing effort,” Fonseca said after winning in front of relatives from home.
“My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles.
“It’s just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career. It is a pleasure playing this sport and this tournament and I am very happy.”
The winner will rise to 28th in the rankings after starting the season on 146.
He sent down 15 winners against ADF, claiming the first set on his fourth chance and breaking to start the second set before running out the win.
Defeat was the fourth in a final this season for the luckless AFD, still without a Tour trophy.
His 2025 heartbreaks have included missing match points in Delray Beach and Washington.
Main photo:- Joao Fonseca with Basel Trophy – by ATPTour.com
ATP
Fonseca to face ADF for Basel title
Teenaged young gun Joao Fonseca will bid for the first ATP 500 trophy of his career on Sunday when he faces tough Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Swiss Indoors final.
The 19-year-old Brazilian will be keen to duplicate his second-round Cincinnati win from August when AFD had to retire in the second set.
Fonseca booked his spot 7-6 (4), 7-5 over Jaume Munar of Spain while ADF beat Ugo Humbert 7-6 (4), 3-1 when the Frenchman retired.
His was the fourth in two days at the event once dominated by Basel-born Roger Federer, after Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov and Norway’s Casper Ruud were all unable to finish their quarter-final matches here on Friday due to injuries.
Fonseca rallied from 2-4 down in the second set against Munar, advancing with nearly 40 winners into the first Masters final for a Brazilian player.
“I knew that it was going to be a tough match, Jaume is playing well,” the winner said.
“I’m happy with how I stayed mentally after an early break in the second set. I’m very happy, so let’s stay hyped for the final.”
Fonseca, the No. 46, won his first Tour-level trophy last February in South America and reached the third round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“It’s been an amazing year, starting at No. 130 in the world, now 40-something and into a first ATP 500 final,” Fonseca said after posting his 24th match win of 2025.
The Brazilian did not play the autumn Asian swing due to illness and is keen to come good in the closing stages of the 11-month tennis season.
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