Follow us on Google Discover There has already been a surprising result in qualifying at the ATP 500 tournament in Basel.
The Swiss Indoors event in Basel has a rich history and is hosting its 54th edition this year.
Roger Federer has won the most titles at the tournament with 10, but last year it was Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard who won the title in Basel after beating Ben Shelton in the final.
With the main draw of this year’s tournament approaching, one former top 20 player has already lost in qualifying after suffering a heavy defeat.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesAdrian Mannarino loses to the world number 259 in heavy Basel qualifying defeat
Adrian Mannarino has been ranked as high as world number 17, and has won five ATP titles in his career.
The Frenchman has a unique game style, with Patrick Mouratoglou recently calling Mannarino’s tennis racket ‘crazy’.
Despite his success over the years, Mannarino fell to as low as world number 145 earlier this year and has had to build his way back up the ATP rankings.
Mannarino has been able to do this, and now finds himself back inside the world’s top 60 after rediscovering his form.
This includes Mannarino making history at the US Open, where he was able to outlast a match with Ben Shelton, who retired due to a shoulder injury.
Mannarino has also beaten Tommy Paul this year, but suffered a shocking defeat as the top seed in qualifying for the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel.
Playing world number 259 Remy Bertola, the Swiss who needed a wildcard to get into qualifying, Mannarino won just three games and was beaten, 6-1 6-2, in just over an hour.
Although this was a big surprise for the 37-year-old, Bertola backed up his win over Mannarino and beat Quentin Halys to advance to the main draw of the Swiss Indoors tournament.
Adrian Mannarino may still have a rare chance of a lifeline in Basel
Mannarino may now need to focus on his next ATP tournament, which is scheduled to be the Paris Masters, but he could also be handed a lifeline.
Most of the time, if a player loses in the first round of qualifying then they are out of the tournament for good, but a situation has unfolded in Basel which could give Mannarino an opportunity.
Since the qualifying draw began, three players including Holger Rune, who suffered a horrific Achilles injury, have withdrawn from the Swiss Indoors tournament.
This means that three of the four players who lose in the final round of qualifying will receive a lucky loser spot.
If there are two more withdrawals from the tournament then Mannarino would have a chance to get a lucky loser place, which would be extremely fortunate given how his qualifying match played out.