Birthday Boy Fritz Bounces Back to Beat Hijikata in Basel

Taylor Fritz gave himself a birthday present in Basel on Wednesday, beating lucky loser Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 7-6(3) in the first round of the Swiss Indoors. The American turned 29 on the day of the match, and the victory arrived just three days after he lost the Lyon final to Lorenzo Musetti on Sunday before making the 400-kilometre trip to Switzerland. Fritz showed no sign of fatigue from that journey, holding his nerve in a second-set tiebreak to close out the straight-sets win and collect 50 ranking points. The result matters for more than just this week: Fritz arrived in Basel sitting 13th in the race for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, and every win keeps that qualification push alive. He will next face Denis Shapovalov in the second round. Elsewhere in Wednesday's Basel action, Nuno Borges produced an upset by beating Casper Ruud 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals, a reminder of how open the draw remains as the tournament heads towards its decisive stages.