Tennis News

10 Years On: Federer's streak-starting win vs. Nadal in the 2015 Basel final

Ten years ago in the Swiss Indoors Basel final, Roger Federer made the most of his hometown advantage to notch a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win against Rafael Nadal — a pivotal result in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series that snapped Federer’s five-match losing streak against the Spaniard and started a five-match winning run of his own.

Adding further significance to the match, it was the great rivals’ first clash in nearly two years, since the 2014 Australian Open semi-finals. They would not meet again until the 2017 Australian Open final, making their Basel showdown their only match across the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

“Six hundred-plus days have gone by, so a lot of things have happened,” Federer said, noting his long wait to face Nadal. “Definitely I had the right game plan today.”

Late breaks decided the second and third sets in a closely contested final at the Basel event where Federer was once a ball boy. Nadal forced a final set with a break at 5-5 in the second, but Federer clinched the decisive break to lead 5-3 in the third with a series of groundstroke winners — a display of power that encapsulated a stellar attacking performance over the course of two hours.

“It was a very special day,” the Swiss added following his lone ATP Tour match against Nadal in his home nation. “Probably it was my best victory here in Basel.”

<img alt=”Roger Federer” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/10/19/11/51/federer-basel-2015-pizza-party.jpg” />

_{^{Federer celebrated his win by throwing a pizza party for the tournament ballkids, as he often did at the Basel event. Photo Credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images}}

The Basel-born Federer trimmed Nadal’s advantage in their Lexus ATP Head2Head to 23-11 with the victory, ultimately closing the gap to 23-15 with his five-match winning streak. After Basel, Federer beat Nadal in a five-set final at the 2017 Australian Open, then notched dominant, straight-sets wins at the ATP Masters 1000s in Indian Wells, Miami and Shanghai. Their next two matches would be their last, coming in quick succession in 2019: Nadal won a decisive Roland Garros semi-final en route to the title before Federer prevailed in a four-set Wimbledon semi-final.

Nadal finished with a 24-16 record in their Lexus ATP Head2Head, helped by three different five-match winning streaks (2005-06, 2008-09, 2013-14). Federer won consecutive matches just three times in their rivalry, and won more than two in a row just once — that run of five victories sparked by his Basel triumph.

Federer’s 2015 Basel title was his 88th tour-level singles trophy and his seventh in Basel. He closed his career with 103 titles, second only to Jimmy Connors’ 109, and a record 10 crowns at his hometown tournament.

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What is the Vienna tennis schedule?

The 2025 Erste Bank Open kick-starts on Monday with Top 10 star Alex de Minaur among those in action at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 in Vienna.

The third-seeded De Minaur, who is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and well-placed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year, takes on home wild card Jurij Rodionov in his Vienna opener. Fifth seed Karen Khachanov and eighth seed Alexander Bublik will also be in action on Monday in the Austrian capital.

View Monday’s full schedule below…

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2025

Center Court – start 13:30
Luciano Darderi (ITA) vs Brandon Nakashima (USA)
Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) vs [8] Alexander Bublik (KAZ)

Not Before 17:30
[3] Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs [WC] Jurij Rodionov (AUT)

Not Before 20:15
[5] Karen Khachanov vs Tallon Griekspoor (NED)

#glaubandich Court – start 16:00
[Q] Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA) vs [Q] Matteo Arnaldi (ITA)

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Resurgent Medvedev wins first title for 882 days

A resurgent Daniil Medvedev claims his first title for 882 days with victory over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final.

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Medvedev ends 882-day title drought in Almaty

Daniil Medvedev’s title drought is over! Eight hundred and eighty-two days after triumphing in Rome, the 29-year-old returned to the winner’s circle at the Almaty Open on Sunday, when he beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who was chasing his maiden tour-level title.

Since his victory in the Italian capital in 2023, the former World No. 1 Medvedev had lost finals at the US Open, Beijing, Vienna, Australian Open, Indian Wells and Halle. However, he ensured there would be no more final heartbreak in Almaty and is now just the second active male player to win 19 hard-court titles, joining Novak Djokovic (71).

In an entertaining final at the ATP 250 event, Medvedev coped with Moutet’s wizardry and moved forward effectively to back up his flat groundstrokes and close out points. With his hard-fought, two-hour, 29-minute 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory, Medvedev captured his 21st tour-level crown. All of Medvedev’s titles have come at different events.

“It is great. I was not super happy with how I played in some moments of the match, but to win feels amazing. In the most important points I played good,” Medvedev said. “The last game was incredible and I am happy to win the title. It continues my funny story of 21 titles in 21 different cities.”

Medvedev also boosted his faint Nitto ATP Finals hopes by winning in Almaty. The former year-end champion is up three spots to 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, trailing eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti by 875 points. The Italian is in the final qualification spot.

Medvedev’s title run in Almaty is his latest success under new coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, having reached semi-finals in Beijing and Shanghai. The 29-year-old started working with both following the US Open, and he holds a 12-3 record since New York, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Moutet was competing in his third tour-level final and was trying to become the ninth first-time winner in 2025. The Frenchman, who did not drop a set en route to the final, is up five spots to No. 36 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to rise to a career-high on Monday.

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Sinner dominates Alcaraz at lucrative Six Kings Slam

Jannik Sinner claims a commanding victory over rival Carlos Alcaraz to win a reported $6m prize pot at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Auger-Aliassime sets Lehecka final in Brussels

Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to his fourth ATP Tour final of the season on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open, where he ended the run of Belgian wild card Raphael Collignon in Brussels.

The Canadian was solid throughout his 7-6(2), 6-4 win and has now earned 40 tour-level victories in 2025. Auger-Aliassime’s best year came in 2022, when he recorded 60 victories and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Aiming to return to the prestigious year-end event this season, the 25-year-old has boosted his hopes with his run in Brussels. Auger-Aliassime is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on 3,070 points, trailing eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti by 415 points. The Italian currently occupies the final qualification spot.

Auger-Aliassime struck the ball aggressively off both wings to quiet the vocal Belgian crowd and end the Collignon resistance. He will compete for his eighth tour-level crown and third of the season on Sunday.

“I had a great opponent in front of me and he was inspired by playing at home,” said Auger-Aliassime, who won the ATP 250 event when it was held in Antwerp in 2022. “I knew it could be the toughest challenge of the week so far. He has been playing great for the past few weeks and months. It was really fun to play, high intensity. It was a pleasure to be a part of that and this week and we have one more to go tomorrow.”

Auger-Aliassime will meet Jiri Lehecka in the title match. The Czech reached the championship match at the ATP 250 event for the second year running after defeating big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(3), 7-6(7) in one hour and 32 minutes.

“It is always tough to prepare for these kinds of matches,” Lehecka said when asked about playing Mpetshi Perricard. “You have to concentrate 100 per cent each point as you don’t know what is coming. He has such a good serve. For me, the most important thing was to stay focused on my service games and wait for the chances.”

Into his sixth tour-level final and third of the season, Lehecka will aim to capture his third title. The 23-year-old, who has lifted trophies on hard courts in Adelaide and Brisbane, has now won 15 of his past 16 matches against players outside the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

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'Devastated' – Rune latest to have season ended prematurely

Holger Rune becomes the latest high-profile tennis player to have his season ended prematurely after suffering an injury at the Nordic Open in Stockholm.

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Schwartzman marries De Martino in Buenos Aires

Diego Schwartzman has begun a new chapter off court. The Argentine, who retired earlier this year, married longtime partner Eugenia De Martino on Thursday in Buenos Aires.

Schwartzman and De Martino started dating in 2019, with Eugenia frequently seen supporting the 33-year-old at tournaments. Schwartzman proposed to De Martino in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in June 2024.

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A post shared by Diego Schwartzman (@dieschwartzman)

The former No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings retired on home soil at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires in February. The 33-year-old won four ATP Tour titles and competed at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020.

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Fritz to face Shanghai champ Vacherot in Basel draw blockbuster

Valentin Vacherot arrives at the Swiss Indoors Basel as a newly crowned ATP Masters 1000 Champion. Yet the breakout Rolex Shanghai Masters winner will have to be at his best from the start if he is to make an impact on debut at the indoor hard-court ATP 500.

Wild card Vacherot has been drawn against top seed Taylor Fritz in a blockbuster first-round clash in Switzerland. The Monegasque, flying high at a career-high No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his fairytale Shanghai run, will be playing just his seventh main draw at an ATP Tour event.

It could be a significant week in Basel for Fritz, who is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and well placed to secure a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals. The American is seeded to face sixth seed Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals and fourth seed Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

Ruud, who is 11th in the Live Race and himself retains hopes of reaching Turin, begins his Basel title bid against a qualifier or lucky loser, while wild card Stan Wawrinka is a potential second-round opponent for the Norwegian. The former World No. 3 and home favourite Wawrinka first plays Miomir Kecmanovic, whom he leads 1-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

In the bottom half of the draw, Fritz’s fellow Turin hopeful Ben Shelton will open against a qualifier. The second-seeded American, who is 37-19 in 2025 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, reached the Basel championship match in 2024 before falling Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Shelton is sixth in the Live Race, and will hope to rediscover his best form after suffering a shoulder injury at the US Open in late August.

Exploring the street art of Basel with Ben Ten 🎨#benshelton | #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/nLzDah5erc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 18, 2025

Shelton could play fellow Turin contender Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is 10th in the Live Race, in the quarter-finals. The Canadian will hope that returning to a venue where he clinched back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 can inspire him once again The fifth-seeded Auger-Aliassime opens against his countryman Gabriel Diallo.

The big-serving Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard will take on #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca in an intriguing first-round encounter that sits in the same quarter of the draw as third seed Holger Rune (who plays Marcos Giron) and seventh seed Jakub Mensik (who plays home #NextGenATP star Henry Bernet.

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Emotional Rune retires from Stockholm SF vs. Humbert

Holger Rune cut a distressed figure as he was assisted off court by the physio from his semi-final at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm on Saturday.

The Dane led Ugo Humbert 6-4, 2-2 when he felt a sharp pain in his left leg and was forced to retire after one hour, 23 minutes.

After pulling up, Rune instantly glanced his box with a disconcerted look and teared up while receiving treatment. However, he was unable to continue and was assisted off court.

Rune captured the Stockholm title in 2022 and appeared to be nearing a sixth consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head win over Humbert. The Frenchman awaits Casper Ruud or Denis Shapovalov in Sunday’s final.

“It was not the way I wanted to win,” said Humbert. “I’m super disappointed for Holger, I hope he is going to be okay. I wish him a speedy recovery. It was a great match. He was playing a little bit better than me, but I’m really sorry for Holger.”

Watch Highlights: Humbert advances to Stockholm final

Rune is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and aiming to make a late push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since 2023. Meanwhile, Humbert is into his 10th ATP Tour final, and sixth on indoor hard courts.

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