Follow us on Google Discover The 2025 Swiss Indoors in Basel is well underway, as the stars of the ATP Tour battle it out for the title.
It wasn’t a great day for the home favorites on Monday, as both Remy Bertola and Henry Bernet lost their first-round matches.
That left just one Swiss player in the tournament, 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka.
Photo by Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Standing between Wawrinka and a place in round two was Miomir Kecmanovic, a champion at the Delray Beach Open earlier this year.
Roared on by the home crowd, the three-time Grand Slam winner produced a vintage performance on Tuesday evening.
Stan Wawrinka beats Miomir Kecmanovic to seal first ATP win since July
Wawrinka was at his brilliant best in Basel, proving age truly is just a number in his 6-1, 7-6 win over Kecmanovic.
The veteran’s one-handed backhand was sublime at times, but it was his serve that fired him to victory.
Hitting 12 aces, Wawrinka powered his way past a man 14 years his junior.
PlayerAcesDouble faults1st Serve %Win % on 1st ServeWin % on 2nd ServeService points wonStan Wawrinka12168%75%67%42Miomir Kecmanovic2457%71%50%35Serving stats from Stan Wawrinka vs Miomir Kecmanovic
ATP Tour wins have been hard to come by for Wawrinka in 2025, despite his success on the Challenger Tour.
The Swiss legend has only won three main draw matches this year, and his last win before his triumph in Basel came in July, at the Croatia Open.
Stan Wawrinka’s ATP Tour matches in 2025Australian Open 1R [LOSS] vs Lorenzo SonegoOpen Occitanie 1R [LOSS] vs Arthur CazauxRotterdam Open 1R [LOSS] vs Daniil MedvedevOpen 13 1R [LOSS] vs Nuno BorgesBucharest Open 1R [WIN] vs Timofey Skatov (April)Bucharest Open 2R [LOSS] vs Pedro MartinezMonte-Carlo Masters 1R [LOSS] vs Alejandro TabiloBarcelona Open 1R [LOSS] vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina French Open 1R [LOSS] vs Jacob FearnleySwiss Open 1R [LOSS] vs Alexander ShevchenkoCroatia Open 1R [WIN] vs Alvaro Guillen Meza (July)Croatia Open 2R [LOSS] vs Damir DzumhurShanghai Masters 1R [LOSS] vs Fabian MarozsanSwiss Indoors 1R [WIN] vs Miomir Kecmanovic (October)
Wawrinka now has a chance to win back-to-back matches for the first time in 2025, but that might be easier said than done.
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His next opponent, should he beat Lucky Loser Quentin Halys in his first-round match, will be three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud.
Have Stan Wawrinka and Casper Ruud played before?
Yes. The three-time Grand Slam winner and the three-time Grand Slam finalist have met before on the ATP Tour… in Basel three years ago.
It was Wawrinka who emerged victorious on that occasion, picking up a relatively straightforward 6-4, 6-4 win.
Things are different now, however, and should Ruud make it through to the second round, he will likely take on Wawrinka as a clear favorite.
Ruud not only has youth on his side, but he has a lot to play for, with ATP Finals qualification still a possibility.
The Norwegian currently sits 11th in the ‘Live ATP Race to Turin’ and would move to within striking distance of the all-important eighth spot with a win in Basel.
Race RankNameCountryPointsStatus4Alexander ZverevGermany4,280Currently qualifying5Taylor FritzUSA3,835Currently qualifying6Ben SheltonUSA3,770Currently qualifying7Alex de MinaurAustralia3,585Currently qualifying8Lorenzo MusettiItaly3,525Currently qualifying9Felix Auger-AliassimeCanada3,145Not currently qualifying10Jack DraperGreat Britain2,990Injured – Out for the season11Casper RuudNorway2,735Not currently qualifying12Holger RuneDenmark2,590Injured – Out for the season13Daniil MedvedevRussia2,560Not currently qualifyingPlayers chasing qualification for the ATP Finals
However, it would be naive to suggest Wawrinka doesn’t have just as much to play for.
Likely competing at the Swiss Indoors for one of the final times in his career, Wawrinka will want to make a memorable run.
He could well do just that, should he maintain the level he showed against Kecmanovic in round one.
The prospect of a second career meeting between Ruud and Wawrinka is certainly exciting, but the former won’t want to get too far ahead of himself.
Ruud will play Frenchman Halys in the first round on Wednesday, October 22.