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In his first outing since becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in Shanghai, Vacherot unleashed his fearless, all-court aggression to rattle Fritz early. The American, however, dug deep for a gritty 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 comeback victory in their first-round clash at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 event.

After squandering four set points on return at 5-3 in the second set and dropping serve in the next game, Fritz steadied himself, racing to an ultimately unassailable 4/0 lead in the tie-break. Continuing the topsy-turvy nature of their clash, Fritz then let slip a 4-2 lead in the deciding set, but he once again regrouped in dramatic fashion to close a nervy win.

“As we played the match, I started to see why those conditions [in Shanghai] suit him very well,” Fritz said. “When the balls got worn out and it slowed down a lot, that’s when he was controlling me the most and dominating me. 

"In the last game, I was able to get the break on new balls. I was more in control of the match when it was playing a bit faster.”

Vacherot, the No. 204 player in the ATP Rankings three weeks ago, stormed through qualifying in Shanghai before stunning the field — including Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals — en route to his maiden ATP Tour title. Now perched inside the World’s Top 40, he couldn’t quite conjure another shock against the resilient Fritz.

With his two-hour, 36-minute triumph, Fritz extended his flawless 12-0 record in hard-court openers this season, taking another confident stride towards securing a return to the ATP Finals. Last year’s runner-up is fifth in the  ATP Live Race To Turin and boasts a 51-16 record in 2025.

Fritz will next face last week’s Stockholm finalist Ugo Humbert, who continued his form with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sebastian Korda. 

The Frenchman has now won 14 of his past 16 indoor matches, highlighted by his run to the ATP Masters 1000 final in Paris last year and his Marseille title in February.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud both earned crucial first-round wins in their bid to qualify for the ATP Finals. Auger-Aliassime overcame countryman and good friend Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 7-5.

Ruud moved past lucky loser Quentin Halys 6-1, 7-6(3).

With respective titles last week in Brussels and Stockholm, Auger-Aliassime and Ruud have ramped up the pressure on eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti — who is competing in Vienna this week — in the ATP Live Race To Turin. Auger-Aliassime is ninth and Ruud is 11th, but 10th-placed Jack Draper is out of action for the rest of the season through injury.

“He [Diallo] is a hell of a player,” said Auger-Aliassime, who won consecutive Basel titles in 2022-2023. “It was tough to play such a good friend, a bit awkward… I don’t think I have ever been so nervous at the start of a match. 

"Throughout the year we are messaging each other, cheering each other up. It’s amazing that we get to play against each other on the ATP Tour.”

In the second round in Basel, Auger-Aliassime next faces qualifier Marin Cilic and Ruud takes on 40 year-old Swiss wild card Stan Wawrinka, who won their only prior match at this event in 2022.

Botic van de Zandschulp also booked his spot in the second round with an imposing 6-2, 6-2 win over in-form Jiri Lehecka, who reached last week’s Brussels final. 

Joao Fonseca advanced to the quarter-finals after Jakub Mensik was forced to withdraw from their clash with a left foot injury.