Ruud Survives Stricker Scare to Reach Basel Second Round

Casper Ruud is through in Basel, but only just. The ninth seed was forced to dig deep against Swiss wild card Dominic Stricker on Monday, dropping the opening set before rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 first-round victory at the Swiss Indoors. The numbers made uncomfortable reading for the Norwegian: Stricker finished with a 13-12 edge in aces, struck more winners by 37 to 29, and committed fewer unforced errors, 18 to 26. What separated the two was Ruud's nerve in the biggest moments — the former world number two could not be broken across the final two sets, and he found a way through when the match tightened. The win keeps Ruud's late-season campaign alive as the race for the season-ending ATP Finals reaches its decisive weeks, with every victory now carrying extra weight. Elsewhere in Basel on Monday, Denmark's Holger Rune absorbed 32 aces from France's Quentin Halys to edge a third-set tiebreak, while German lucky loser Daniel Altmaier, Portugal's Nuno Borges and Monaco's Valentin Vacherot also advanced. In Vienna, Alex de Minaur's comeback headlined the day, but Ruud's escape act was the evening's other great survival story. Stricker, backed by a partisan home crowd, will rue the chances that slipped away, particularly in a second set he led before Ruud reasserted control. For the Norwegian, it was the kind of ugly win that can steady a season — and set up a deeper run in a tournament he knows well.