Follow us on Google Discover Valentin Vacherot took the ATP Tour by storm when he won the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, claiming his maiden career title.
Vacherot spent time with Roger Federer after his victory in Shanghai, with the latter having watched his final against Arthur Rinderknech.
The Monegasque star defeated his cousin Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to clinch the trophy, having entered the ATP 1000 tournament as a qualifier.
Top 10 seeds Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune were among his victims at the Shanghai Masters, with Vacherot climbing to 40th in the world rankings after his memorable venture.
Along with his career-high rank, 26-year-old Vacherot earned $1,124,380, with his win-loss record now sitting at 12-2 for the season.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesValentin Vacherot handed intriguing draw in first event since Shanghai Masters win
The Shanghai Masters champion now turns his focus to Switzerland, with Vacherot handed a Basel wildcard following his efforts earlier this month.
And he has been handed a very intriguing draw in his first event since that unforgettable run, with Taylor Fritz representing his very first opponent at the Swiss Indoors Basel.
American star Fritz, who just played at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, is the top seed at the ATP 500 tournament.
The winner of the first round tie will then take on the winner of the match between Sebastian Korda and Ugo Humbert.
Also in Vacherot’s side of the draw in Basel are fourth seed Casper Ruud, sixth seed Jiri Lehecka, and his fellow wildcard Stan Wawrinka.
And should he enjoy another stunning run all the way to the final, Ben Shelton, Joao Fonseca and his cousin Rinderknech represent his potential opponents.
Why Taylor Fritz is under big pressure against Valentin Vacherot at the Swiss Indoors Basel
Plenty of eyes will be on Vacherot for his match against world number four Fritz given what he did just recently in Shanghai.
And while that could work in the favor of the American, he finds himself under plenty of pressure to perform.
He just suffered an early exit at the Six Kings Slam, and should be eager to bounce back with a strong run in Basel.
But there will be a big weight on his shoulders as the number one seed, while he is both more experienced and indeed continues to be under the microscope as an American male player, with such players having somewhat underwhelmed once again this season.
Moreover, Fritz will be desperate to avoid the fates suffered by the likes of Djokovic and Rune against Vacherot en route to his maiden ATP title.
On paper, however, he represents the most difficult opponent for Vacherot, but he certainly didn’t let such a scenario impact his confidence or performances last time out.