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Valentin Vacherot created Monegasque tennis history by stunning sixth seed Taylor Fritz in straight sets to reach the Swiss Indoors Basel final.
Valentin Vacherot celebrates after winning his semi-final match against United States’ Taylor Fritz at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament (Picture credit: AP)
Monegasque tennis star Valentin Vacherot on Saturday, October 31, became the first from his country to qualify for the final of the Swiss Indoors, after he stunned sixth seed Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the semifinal.
This is Vacherot’s biggest win since he beat Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Vacherot booked his place in his first final of the season with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win against Fritz at the ATP 500 event, becoming the first player from Monaco to reach the tournament’s championship match.
Vacherot matched Fritz’s powerful serve with a brilliant serving display of his own and held his nerve in the key moments to seal his place in the final.
Vacherot fought back from a 1-4 deficit in the first-set tie-break, winning six of the next seven points to take the opener. He then bagged a decisive break at 4-3 in the second set to clinch the win in one hour and 26 minutes.
“You just have to pray on the returns because Taylor is one of the best servers on Tour. His spots are just amazing. Sometimes you can anticipate it, but you can’t even touch it,” Vacherot said after the match.
“I am just super happy I got that break at 4-3 in the second set. I guessed well and executed it well,” Vacherot added.
The victory brought him level at 1-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with Fritz, avenging his first-round loss to the American at the same tournament last year.
Having reached his first final of the year and his maiden ATP 500 championship match, Vacherot is now chasing his first title since his brilliant win at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Vacherot’s fairytale run at the Masters 1000 event saw him become the lowest-ranked champion in the series’ history since its inception in 1990.
Vacherot will next face either eighth seed Jiri Lehecka or Jan-Lennard Struff in the Basel final.
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Ask News18Valentin Vacherot became the first tennis player from Monaco to reach the final of the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel after defeating Taylor Fritz in straight sets on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Ask News18October 31, 2026, 22:35 IST
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