Vacherot stuns Fritz to reach Swiss Indoors final in Basel

Valentin Vacherot of Monaco reached the final of the Swiss Indoors in Basel on Saturday, 31 October, beating sixth seed Taylor Fritz of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Vacherot, who was unseeded, was 4-1 down in the first-set tie-break before winning six of the next seven points to take it 7-5. He then broke Fritz at 4-3 in the second set and served out the match in 86 minutes, hitting ten aces along the way.

It is Vacherot’s first final of 2026 and only the second of his career. His other came when he won the Shanghai Masters in October 2025, becoming the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters 1000 title. He is also the first man from Monaco to reach the final in Basel.

He will face eighth seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in Sunday’s final. Lehecka came from a set down to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, saving a match point along the way. Struff had knocked out Novak Djokovic on Thursday. The two finalists have split their two previous meetings: Lehecka won their semi-final in Tokyo last month, while Vacherot won at the Paris Masters last year.

Why it matters

Fritz’s defeat is a heavy blow to his hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. He sits 12th in the race with 2,885 points and now needs a big run at the Paris Masters next week to have a chance. His loss also means Spain’s Rafael Jodar will enter the world’s top 10 for the first time when the new rankings are published on Monday.

For Vacherot, the run confirms that his Shanghai triumph was no one-off. A year on, he has beaten four players in Basel, including Fritz and Holger Rune, and is one win from a second career title.

What happens next

The final is played on Sunday, 1 November. Lehecka has lost his last four finals, including two this season in Miami and Tokyo, so both men will feel this is a title there for the taking.

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Sources

• https://www.byteseu.com/2489033/ (Associated Press, 1 November 2026)
• https://www.tennismajors.com/atp/vacherot-back-in-a-final-a-year-after-shanghai-as-fritzs-turin-hopes-fade-864638.html (Tennis Majors, 31 October 2026)
• https://www.tennismajors.com/atp/lehecka-comes-from-a-set-down-to-beat-struff-and-reach-basel-final-864727.html (Tennis Majors, 31 October 2026)
• https://www.europesays.com/ch/153724/ (Europe Says, 31 October 2026)