Why pizza and tears remain a constant for Roger Federer in Basel

Roger Federer won his 103rd tour-level title on Sunday at the Swiss Indoors Basel. But for the 38-year-old, lifting trophies never gets old.

Tears filled the 10-time Basel champion's eyes as he spoke to the crowd during the trophy ceremony.

“You saw it hit me again hard winning here in Basel. I don’t take these tournament victories as a normal thing. I take them as something quite unique and special, even though it’s been a lot by now,” Federer said. “Every one has a different flavour and I try to enjoy them as much as I can in the moment.”

It’s especially emotional for Federer at home. His two years spent as a ball boy in Basel more than two decades ago have been well-documented, and the Swiss awards all the ball boys and ball girls medals and orders them pizza to celebrate their efforts. So even though it was the 10th time Federer has triumphed here, the tears were no surprise.

“I think it might be partially reminiscing back at everything that went on this week. Definitely the family, the thought of the team aspect, the family aspect, everything that goes into me still being able to do it today. People think I just go out there and just do it and have these types of weeks or these types of matches at will,” Federer said. “But there’s so much more that goes into it, let alone managing four children, [which] is a challenge, but a good one.

"Obviously when I stand there and look back at everything that I had to go through, it really touches me. Along with just the music and the thought of all the ball kids running in already gets me going.”

Federer has lifted plenty of trophies from the moment he picked up a tennis racquet as a kid. But that boy who once dreamt of being "one of the big guys" is now just six titles from Jimmy Connors' all-time mark of 109 tour-level titles.

“Back in the day when you lifted a trophy as a junior you’re like, ‘Ahh, let’s just pretend to be one of the big guys.’ But you clearly know you’re not. Now when you’re able to do it in a stadium with people chanting your name or celebrating you or your tennis, it’s a wonderful feeling,” Federer said. “There you probably have a couple of parents around and one photographer who happened to be there at the time. So clearly things have changed. Luckily there were some photographers at the time, because it was more of a luxury to have a camera at the time. It’s been an incredible journey. It’s definitely very different today.”

This is the second tournament at which Federer has won 10 titles, having accomplished the feat in Halle earlier this year. So even though his championship victory against Alex de Minaur was fairly straightforward, resulting in a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline, that didn’t make the moment he clinched the title any less special.

“You don’t get a chance to win 10 titles at the same event many times in your career ever, so I couldn’t be more happy that it also happened here in Basel, in Halle also,” Federer said. “It’s been a great week, a wonderful time. The fans were unreal again, like so many other years. I played great tennis and was able to pull it all the way through until the very end.”

Federer did not drop a set en route to his fourth title of the season. He dropped just 18 games in four matches.

“I started off very strong and very well this week. I was able to really keep a very solid level and sometimes even a fantastic level,” Federer said. “[It was] never really in doubt. If only it was always like that, but it’s not. So I take this week as a good one for sure.”

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Roger Federer gets the perfect #10 in Basel

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Some things seem like they'll never change on the ATP Tour. Roger Federer won his 10th Swiss Indoors Basel title on Sunday, entering double digits at a tournament for only the second time by racing past #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-2.

Federer, playing in front of a fervent home crowd, played attacking tennis against the speedy 20-year-old, who was going for his fourth title of the season (3-1). The 38-year-old broke four times, mixing up the pace and keeping De Minaur on the move from the back of the court.

"It was fast but very nice. I think I played a great match. It was a tough opener, in the beginning, the first five games, we had some great rallies. I never looked back," Federer said. "I was great on the offence, made very few unforced errors and came up with the big shots and served well when I had to.

"I thought Alex played a great tournament as well, and I think we both can be very happy. But what a moment for me to win my 10th here in my hometown of Basel."

The Aussie targetted Federer's backhand, but Federer combatted the strategy well, slicing balls to keep De Minaur guessing. The Swiss broke twice in the opening set, smashing an overhead for a 3-1 lead and taking advantage of a loose service game from De Minaur to close out the opening set. In the second, the home favourite ripped a forehand pass to break in the second game and place a stranglehold on momentum.

"He just puts you under pressure," De Minaur said. "Any ball that isn't a metre from the baseline for him is a short ball. That's something I learned the hard way today. But I can't wait until I'm able to step out and play him again."

The Swiss now can count Basel alongside the NOVENTI OPEN in Halle as his most successful tournaments by titles won. Federer has won his home ATP 500 during his past five appearances. He improved to 75-9 at the tournament and has won 24 consecutive matches on centre court. "[I] couldn't be more happy," Federer said. "What a great tournament it's been for me, always, but particularly the last few times I've been here."

Roger Federer's Most Titles By Tournament (All Tournament Records)

Tournament	Title
Halle	10
Basel	10
Wimbledon	8
Dubai	8
Cincinnati	7

Federer won his fourth title of the season, tied for second best on the Tour, and the 103rd of his career (103-54). He will receive 500 ATP Rankings points and €430,125 in prize money.

De Minaur, who was going for the biggest title of his career, will get 300 ATP Rankings points and €216,025 in prize money. The Aussie is projected to crack the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career on Monday. De Minaur is also set to make his second appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 5-9 November at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.

“I'm very happy... [It's] been an incredible experience, one which I will learn a lot from,” De Minaur said. “I think it's a lot of good work that I've put in, a lot of hard work with my team. I'm happy to see the results paying off.”

Most Tour-Level Titles In 2019

Dominic Thiem	5
Novak Djokovic	4
Roger Federer	4
Daniil Medvedev	4
Rafael Nadal	4
Alex de Minaur	3

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Hello ATP title 103 ♥. Only player to have 10 times at 2 tournaments on 2 different surfaces. 

Legend. 

Roger Federer is one win away from title #10 in Basel

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Roger Federer made it clear on Saturday that he wants to pick up a 10th title at the Swiss Indoors Basel. The top-seeded Swiss booked his place in the final with a sterling 6-4, 6-4 performance against third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“It was nice to come out strong. It was a really intense 35 or 40 minutes to start. I had a good middle section which gave me the first set and the lead in the second set, and never looked back,” Federer said. “It’s hard to believe that I’m in another Basel final. It’s super exciting.”

Federer added to his staggering numbers in Basel by reaching his 13th consecutive final and 15th overall. He moved to 74-9 at this event and has won his past 23 matches on centre court. The 38-year-old is through to his sixth ATP Tour final of the season, second only to Daniil Medvedev (9), and picked up his 50th tour-level win of the year.

“Even if I’m up a set and a break, the [crowd] are not just there when I’m down in the score and feel like I need it,” Federer said. “They enjoy when I’m playing good tennis and it pushes me to play even better, keep on trying every point and try to make something happen. That’s what you do with a home court advantage.”

Awaiting him in the championship match is #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who defeated American Reilly Opelka earlier in the day. Federer will have experience on his side when they meet for the first time on Sunday. The Swiss is competing in his 157th ATP Tour final (102-54), compared to six for De Minaur (3-2).

Federer was 0-12 on break points during his loss to Tsitsipas at this year's Australian Open and couldn't convert his first five in their latest clash. But with Tsitsipas serving at 2-2 in the first set, Federer let out a roar of approval after getting over the line with a strong forehand approach.

The Swiss looked to move forward whenever possible and was nearly flawless when he did, winning 9 of 10 net points in the opening set. Serving for the set at 5-4, he fired three aces and a delicate drop volley winner to grab the early advantage.

Tsitsipas was left to ruminate over hitting more winners than unforced errors (11 to 9), yet still coming up short. The Greek felt the pressure in the second set, hitting a double fault and a pair of wild baseline errors in the opening game to give Federer two break points. The top seed converted on his second with a forehand winner and jogged to his chair.

Federer's outstanding serving led to little resistance from Tsitsipas, with the Swiss dropping just eight points in his first nine service games. The third seed earned his first break point with Federer serving for the match at 5-4, but played it tentatively and pushed a forehand long. Two points later, a swinging forehand volley winner closed out play after 79 minutes. Federer finished the day with 28 winners to 11 unforced errors.

Despite the loss, Tsitsipas can be pleased with another strong week. He's prevailed in 10 of his past 13 matches and reached at least the semi-finals at his past three ATP Tour events.

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Roger Federer remains unstoppable at home into quarters in Basel

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Can anyone stop Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors Basel? The top-seeded Swiss moved closer to a 10th title at this event with an outstanding 6-0, 6-3 second-round performance on Wednesday against Moldovan Radu Albot.

“I’m extremely happy because I really struggled against him in Miami and he definitely got my attention there. I was basically a point away from losing,” Federer said. “It was important for me to show a reaction to that match and come out with a proper game plan. I think I learned a lot from that match.

“I really respect Radu. He tries everything to win in a really tough and great and fair way. I’m very happy with the way I played. I had an answer for everything he threw at me today and that’s great.”

Federer improved to 73-9 in Basel and has won his past 22 matches on centre court. The 38-year-old has dropped a mere five games in his first two rounds, competing in his 1,500th tour-level match as he defeated German Peter Gojowczyk on Monday.

“Maybe I was feeling some pressure [in my first appearances] and it was, in some ways, the hardest to play in front of friends and family in Basel, but not in the past 17 years,” Federer said. “I’ve really enjoyed every moment and always tried to understand how I should take advantage of playing at home.”

In their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting at this year’s Miami Open presented by Itau, Albot pushed Federer to the edge in a three-set tussle. Armed with the knowledge of how dangerous the Moldovan can be, Federer brought his best tennis from the first point. The Swiss dominated the baseline rallies throughout the opening set, firing 13 winners as he sprinted to an early advantage after 22 minutes.

Albot did his best to keep his spirits up and the crowd entertained in spite of the one-sided scoreline. He cracked a sarcastically bemused smile after a rare Federer error at 0-2 in the second set, then bowed to the crowd after holding serve in that game to get on the board.

But while the Moldovan won a moral victory by avoiding a double bagel, he wasn’t able to win much else on the night as Federer continued his vintage form. A strong backhand from the Swiss wrapped up play after 62 minutes. Federer finished the night with 32 winners to just 21 unforced errors, in addition to taking 75 per cent of his service points (30/40).

Awaiting Federer in the next round is seventh-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka or #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, who both won their respective first-round matches on Wednesday. Federer leads Tiafoe 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including a win in Basel two years ago. He also holds a 23-3 advantage over Wawrinka in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and has prevailed in their past seven matches. Federer won their lone Basel clash in the 2011 semi-finals.

“I think the fans would love [a match against Stan] because he’s struggled at this tournament for some reason, but it’s great to see him back healthy,” Federer said. “We’ve always had some tough matches, even on hard courts. Hopefully this match happens for the fans.”

Did You Know?

The five games Federer has dropped so far this week is the fewest he's lost in his opening two matches in Basel since 2006.

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Roger Federer one step closer to 10th Basel title

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Roger Federer started his European indoor season with more dominance in his hometown of Basel on Monday evening. The 38-year-old Swiss won his 21st consecutive match at the Swiss Indoors Basel, sprinting past German Peter Gojowczyk 6-2, 6-1 in only 53 minutes.

"I thought the match was good. I felt like I had a good spring in my step and was quick onto the ball. Didn’t take me long to get used to the conditions. That was positive,” Federer said. “[I] knew of the danger playing Peter, especially indoors. He had a great couple of qualifying matches, so I knew he’d be tough, especially [because] he beat Karlovic easy, who serves great.”

Federer, who was playing in his 1,500th tour-level match, broke five times and, despite giving back one of those breaks in the second set, cruised in the quick indoor conditions to improve to 72-9 at the ATP 500 event. He finished with 34 winners to only 18 unforced errors.

The World No. 3 is going for his 10th Basel title and 103rd overall. Federer has won only one tournament 10 times, the NOVENTI OPEN in Halle.

The Swiss has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for a record-extending 17th time. He will next meet Moldovan Radu Albot or Dusan Lajovic of Serbia.

In other action, #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur beat Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien 6-1, 7-5 and will next face the winner of American Taylor Fritz and second seed Alexander Zverev, who is currently in seventh place in the ATP Race To London. The top eight will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff knocked out #NextGenATP Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-2 and will face Swiss wild card Henri Laaksonen, who upset eighth seed Benoit Paire of France 6-3, 7-5 in front of the home crowd.

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Roger Federer's path to 10th Basel title revealed

Roger Federer was once a ball boy at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he hoped of one day joining the players he assisted like 1994 champion Wayne Ferreira. The Swiss has certainly made those dreams come true, and this coming week he will chase a 10th title at his home ATP 500 event.

Federer will begin his tournament against a qualifier, before potentially facing Moldovan Radu Albot or Serbian Dusan Lajovic, neither of whom he has lost to. The 38-year-old defeated Albot in three sets in Miami this year in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, and he beat Lajovic at Wimbledon in 2017 and 2018.

Depending on how the results play out, there could be a blockbuster quarter-final pitting Federer against countryman Stan Wawrinka, the seventh seed, who begins his run against Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas. Federer leads their rivalry 23-3, including a straight-sets victory in the 2011 Basel semi-finals. But Wawrinka is gaining momentum, reaching the championship match in Antwerp for his first final since Rotterdam in February.

Federer has been at home in more ways than one in Basel, winning 20 consecutive matches at the event and reaching the final in his past 12 appearances. The last time he lost to a player ranked outside the Top 10 in Basel was in 2003, when he fell to World No. 47 Ivan Ljubicic, who is now his coach.

The second seed is reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, who is trying to gain crucial points in the ATP Race To London. The German, currently in seventh place in the Race, is fresh off a trip to the Rolex Shanghai Masters final, his best result at an ATP Masters 1000 this year. Zverev will play American Taylor Fritz in the first round. Although the 11-time ATP Tour champion has won both of their previous matches, Fritz pushed him to five sets at Wimbledon last year.

Zverev could face another challenge in the second round if recent Zhuhai champion Alex de Minaur gets by a qualifier. If they clash, the Aussie will try to earn his first win against Zverev on his fifth attempt. Zverev made the semi-finals in Basel last year, losing to Marius Copil, who received a wild card into this year’s main draw.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who guaranteed his London debut with a strong run in Shanghai, is the third seed. The reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion will play Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas for the second time — having defeated him in Barcelona last year — and for the first time on a hard court. The Greek star, who made the quarter-finals in Basel last year, has fifth seed Fabio Fognini in his quarter.

The Italian is making a late push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in singles for the first time. Fognini, who opens against a qualifier, is in 11th position in the Race, trailing eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini by 290 points.

One of the blockbuster matches of the first round pits two former Top 10 players against each other. Sixth seed David Goffin will play former World No. 3 Marin Cilic. Goffin had an opportunity in Antwerp to climb into the Top 8 in the Race, but he fell to #NextGenATP Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Goffin is currently in 10th place, 90 points clear of Fognini.

Directly in front of him in the Race is Roberto Bautista Agut, who hopes to make his debut at The O2. The fourth seed in Basel, Bautista Agut opens against 2018 finalist Copil. The Spaniard is just 40 points behind Berrettini, who is competing in Vienna.

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Roger Federer beat Del Potro in 3 sets for 8th Basel title!

Roger Federer Tumblr

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Roger Federer missed a year at his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors Basel, but he certainly did not miss a step.

The Swiss superstar won his eighth Basel title on Sunday, battling back to defeat the surging Juan Martin del Potro, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to clinch his ATP World Tour-leading seventh title of the year.

"I think we're both tired from a long season. Plus he's been playing four straight weeks now, very successful, so we tried to give it all we had," Federer said. "The crowd really enjoyed themselves and at the end there is always going to be a winner unfortunately in tennis. But I think we both can be very happy with the week today."

It appeared that the Swiss may fall short in his 13th Basel final when del Potro broke immediately in the third set to snuff Federer’s momentum and gain the lead in the decider. But the now 95-time tour-level titlist broke the Argentine twice in a row to turn the match around. Serving for the tournament, Federer missed out on his first championship point with a forehand error, but hit a crisp serve wide in the deuce court that del Potro couldn’t handle, sending his hometown crowd into a frenzy as he threw both arms in the air.

"You've been playing great tennis this year. You are in fantastic shape, it's unbelievable," del Potro said to Federer after the match. "I would love to be at your age in the same form, but I don't think so."

Federer moved ahead of Ivan Lendl into standalone second place on the Open Era titles list, only trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies. He now owns eight or more trophies at three different events: Halle (9), Wimbledon (8) and Basel (8).






The Basel victory continues Federer's astonishing renaissance, rising from No. 16 in the rankings at the beginning of the year into contention for the top spot with two tournaments remaining in the season. He extended his record against the Top 10 this season to a tour-best 11-1 this week in the semi-finals against David Goffin. That 6-1, 6-2 victory was his most dominant against a Top 10 opponent since the 2014 Nitto ATP Finals, when Federer beat Andy Murray, 6-0, 6-1.

For del Potro, Sunday’s loss was disappointing, but he has continued to play excellent tennis since sitting in 47th in the Emirates ATP Race To London before the US Open. The Argentine has used semi-final results in Flushing Meadows and Shanghai, last week’s title in Stockholm and his run to the Basel final to pull to within 190 points of Pablo Carreno Busta, who occupies the final London qualifying spot with one week remaining.

"You've been on a great run since the US Open and before so I'm very happy to see you playing so well again and being able to play every week. That's something I would like to be able to do again," Federer said to del Potro. "All the best for Paris and then I'll hopefully maybe see you in London, too."

Regardless of whether del Potro does in fact qualify for the year-end finale, he has set himself up for a strong 2018. The Argentine rose to No. 19 in the rankings on 16 October, his highest mark since 6 October 2014.

While del Potro will move up to No. 17 when the new rankings are released on Monday, he was close to soaring all the way to No. 12, which he would have reached if he closed out Federer in Basel. The Argentine did not win one point on his second serve in the third set (0/6) and did not capitalise on his chances on Federer's serve. He reached 30/30 when the Swiss served at 3-1 and 4-2, but could not earn a break point.

Federer extended his lead in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry to 18-6, capturing his fifth win in their past six matches. After the final Federer announced he would withdraw from the Rolex Paris Masters. His final event of the year will be the Nitto ATP Finals 12-19 November in London, where he will chase a seventh title at the season finale.

"It was an emotional match," Federer said of his victory. "But a good one, I think, for the fans."

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Ruthless Roger Federer rolls on to 13th Swiss Indoors final in Basel

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Pace, precision and poise. Roger Federer was at his ruthless best on Saturday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, turning in a vintage performance to reach the final once again on home soil.

The Swiss exhibited a display of stunning aggression against third seed David Goffin, barely putting a wrong foot throughout their 60-minute semi-final encounter. He would blitz the Belgian 6-1, 6-2, firing 20 winners in total, including 12 on his forehand wing and will face Juan Martin del Potro in the final.

"I'm ready for a difficult match and a fully fit del Potro," said Federer. "He played a great match against me in Shanghai and went on to win Stockholm and won that. Now he's here in the final again. I think he's ok. He might be tired, but he doesn't have issues that would keep him away from the court."

Federer stood tall on the baseline and refused to allow Goffin to find any rhythm, firing his forehand with alacrity and using his first serve to send a message under the lights at the St. Jakobshalle.

The Swiss would take the opener 6-1 - the third time he has done so this week - with a winner off a forehand approach, and he immediately pounced as the second set got underway. A hyper-aggressive Federer forced a forehand error from Goffin, stealing a break in the first game. He would claim an insurance break with an overhead smash for 5-2 and closed out the victory a game later.

Federer captured 91 per cent (21 of 23) of points on his first serve during the one-hour affair, improving to 11-1 against fellow Top 10 opponents this year. In dropping just three games, it marks his most dominant victory over a Top 10 player since defeating Andy Murray 6-0, 6-1 at the 2014 Nitto ATP Finals.

Seeking an unprecedented eighth Basel crown, Federer will next face longtime rival del Potro on Sunday. He leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head series 17-6, with their two most recent meetings lighting up the highlight reel. Del Potro prevailed in four sets in the US Open quarter-finals, with Federer exacting revenge earlier this month at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Federer will feature in his seventh final of the season, looking to extend a 6-1 record. He is riding a nine-match win streak since falling to del Potro in New York, coming off a second title run in Shanghai.

The World No. 2 is still in contention for the year-end No. 1 position. He trails Rafael Nadal by 1,660 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London and would need to win the title in Basel and also lift the trophy at both the Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals.

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Roger Federer fights of Mannarino to reach 15th quarter final at Swiss Indoors Basel

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Roger Federer proved in his 15th quarter-final at the Swiss Indoors Basel, his hometown tournament, that he still has plenty of magic left.

The top seed rode the momentum of a tremendous backhand half-volley winner from the baseline down break point in the third set to oust Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, in one hour, 43 minutes. Federer will have the opportunity to advance to his 13th final in Basel against the winner of third seed David Goffin and fifth seed Jack Sock.

“Today was a battle. I had to somehow dig and fight and sometimes these wins are more rewarding than just leading from the get-go and dominating throughout and bringing it home,” said Federer. “These are better matches to win sometimes, actually. I just had a tough time really getting into it and he was rock solid, so he deserved that first set, but the reaction from me was really important.”

Federer, who is into his eighth ATP World Tour semi-final of the season, seeks to earn his eighth title in Basel.

And judging by his 4-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against Mannarino heading into Friday's match, which included all 10 sets going in the Swiss’ favor, it was hard to imagine the Frenchman spoiling Federer’s hometown party. But after Federer did not face a break point in his first two wins, both by 6-1, 6-3 scorelines, the tricky left-hander tested the 36-year-old.

Mannarino broke to love at 4-4 in the opening set before winning his first-ever set against Federer without a problem. The seven-time Basel champion, intense as ever at an event for which he was once a ballboy, quickly won five games in a row to turn the momentum around.

Yet after failing to break Mannarino with two opportunities in the first game of the deciding set, it was Federer who was in trouble. He faced two break points at 2-3, and the Frenchman did well with his second opportunity, lacing a forehand return on the baseline, a shot that most players would scramble to simply put back into play.

But somehow, Federer flicked his one-handed backhand for a winner down the line and never looked back from there, winning the final four games of the match to advance to the semi-finals.

Federer explained his thought process on that crucial break point save. “Before, I hope that I don’t have to hit a shot like this. During, I hope that it’s going to go in and he can’t reach it. And after, it’s thank God I made it.... And then obviously it’s so, so important at deuce to somehow win the game. It doesn’t matter how you do it… you can’t allow yourself to lose a game after saving two break points the way you did, and I held my nerves, held the game, and was able to [get] through it.”

Federer holds a combined 8-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Goffin and Sock.

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Roger Federer cruises into quarter finals at Swiss Indoors in Basel

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Benoit Paire had never won a set against Roger Federer prior to their second-round encounter at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Thursday. That did not come close to changing.

Federer swept the Frenchman, 6-1, 6-3, in 57 minutes to continue his pursuit of an eighth title at his hometown event. It is the 15th time he has advanced to at least the quarter-finals in Basel.

After a 10-point service game to open the match, Federer never faltered. He broke Paire for a 2-0 lead in the first set and did not look back, facing no break points while breaking his opponent four times. Federer clinched the matchup with a crosscourt forehand approach shot for a winner.

The Swiss extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead over Paire to 5-0. Out of the 11 sets they have now played, Federer has won eight of the sets by a margin of 6-3 or greater. Thursday’s win was by the same scoreline as the 36 year old’s last victory against Paire, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships earlier this year. He also defeated Frances Tiafoe by that scoreline in his Basel opener.

The Swiss will play the winner of seventh seed Adrian Mannarino and #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. The 18-year-old defeated the Frenchman in the quarter-finals of his breakout run at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal this summer.

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