Holger Rune will try to get back on track and avenge a recent loss to Miomir Kecmanovic when they meet again in the Basel first round on Tuesday. Stan Wawrinka and Alexander Shevchenko are also taking the court.
(1) Holger Rune vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Rune and Kecmanovic will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time in the last two weeks when they clash in round one of the Swiss Indoors Basel on Tuesday. Rune’s opening match last week in Stockholm also came against Kecmanovic, who defeated the 20-year-old Dane 7-6(3), 6-2. Thus continued a brutal stretch for Rune, who is 1-8 in his last nine matches since advancing to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. His only win during this stretch has come at the expense of a similarly ice-cold Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Beijing first round.
Kecmanovic has not been great in 2023 (25-27 record), but he is building at least some momentum on the fall swing. The 55th-ranked Serb reached the Chengdu quarterfinals and he parlayed his Stockholm victory over Rune into a semifinal appearance. Given the current woes of Basel’s top seed, Kecmanovic’s winning ways will likely continue.
Pick: Kecmanovic in 3
Stan Wawrinka vs. (Q) Alexander Shevchenko
With Roger Federer having retired, it’s up to Wawrinka to carry the torch in Basel–at least until a new generation of Swiss players takes over. Unfortunately for Wawrinka, Basel has never been kind to him. In 14 lifetime appearances at this ATP 500 tournament, not once has the 38-year-old advanced to the final. Twice he has been stopped in the semis–once by Federer (2011) and also by Fernando Gonzalez (2006).
Still, there is time for Wawrinka to make at least one more title push in Basel. Despite being well past his prime, the former world No. 3 has a winning record this season (26-20) and registers at a solid 45th in the rankings. Up first for him on Tuesday is Shevchenko, who has earned all 10 of his main-tour match victories in 2023. The 22-year-old Russian has climbed to 83rd in the world, but he has not defeated anyone ranked better than 56th since Washington, D.C. at the beginning of the summer. It probably won’t be easy, but Wawrinka should be able to get the job done in front of the home crowd.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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