Swiss Tuesday set the stage for local favourites Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Stricker. But a glance at the schedule made clear that the large crowds on hand for the day’s matches would be treated to one tennis highlight after the next.

In the day’s first match-up, 21-year-old Emmental-native Dominic Stricker put Swiss fans in a jubilant mood with his win over Benjamin Hassan.

This was followed by three top players, Hubert Hurkacz (ATP 11), Alex de Minaur (ATP 13) and Holger Rune (ATP 8), confirming their billing as favourites with first-round wins. They thrilled the St. Jakobshalle crowd with riveting rallies and exhilarating moments, underscoring the quality of the field at this year’s Swiss Indoors Basel.

The final match of the day on Center Court featured crowd-pleaser Stan Wawrinka against qualifier Alexander Shevchenko. Impressive in qualifying, the 22-year-old stunned many in attendance by taking the first set 6-3. The second set was another story altogether, a 1-hour-and-10-minute battle of attrition that repeatedly had the crowd on its feet before Shevchenko finally put the match to bed in the tiebreak.

As we look ahead to tomorrow’s matches firming up the last 16, one thing is already clear: the players of the next generation will once again play a leading role this year at the 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel.