Nine break points saved early
Valentin Vacherot had to survive a rough start in Basel. He faced nine break points across his first two service games against Holger Rune and saved all of them. That set the tone. He broke in the sixth game to lead 4-2 and took the first set 6-3.
Rune, 1,202nd in the world after a long injury layoff, called a medical timeout at the end of that set and had his left leg and upper thigh massaged. He still came out sharp, breaking Vacherot at the start of the second to go 3-0 up and levelling the match. The decider mirrored the first set. Vacherot broke at 3-2 and closed out a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win in a little over two hours.
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A semi-final with history behind it
Vacherot is 27, ranked 31st and from Monaco. It is his third semi-final of the season and the fourth of his ATP career. He is also the player who won the Shanghai Masters 1000 in 2025 while ranked outside the top 200, a run that still defines how he is read on tour.
Rune was once fourth in the world. He returned to competition in September after rupturing an Achilles tendon in October 2025.
Vacherot’s next opponent is Taylor Fritz, who advanced later when Arthur Fils retired with a back problem while trailing 6-2, 2-0. The semi-final is on Saturday.
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