Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Ugo Humbert 4-6 6-3 6-4 at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Wednesday, 28 October, in his first match at the tournament since 2011. The 39-year-old needed 2 hours and 26 minutes, and the win keeps alive his bid for a record 19th qualification for the ATP Finals.
"I had to weather the storm"
Humbert, the French left-hander who has won four of his seven titles indoors, took the first set with flat, early hitting. "I was under attack from the very first point. I had to weather the storm," Djokovic said, according to the ATP. He saved two break points at the start of the second set, broke straight after and took control. Humbert received treatment on his lower back at 1-4 in the second set.
Tennis Now counted nine aces for Djokovic, who saved five of the six break points he faced. It was his 20th tour-level win of the season, the 21st year in a row he has reached that number, and his 33rd consecutive win against French players, the ATP noted. Djokovic won Basel on his debut in 2009, beating Roger Federer in the final, and is the only former champion left in the draw.
319 points from ninth place
After his title in Beijing earlier this month, Djokovic is 11th in the live race to Turin, 319 points behind Rafael Jodar, who is ninth and also into the second round in Basel. Because Jannik Sinner is not playing the Finals, ninth place is enough to qualify this year. Djokovic plays Jan-Lennard Struff next; he leads their head-to-head 8-0, but the German has won five of his last six matches and reached the Brussels final last week.
Taylor Fritz, also chasing a place, beat Rinky Hijikata 6-4 7-6 and plays Denis Shapovalov next. Casper Ruud lost 1-6 6-3 6-4 to Nuno Borges, and Holger Rune beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 6-3 7-6.
Medvedev and Musetti win in Vienna
In Vienna, Daniil Medvedev beat Daniel Merida 7-6 6-1, three days after winning the Almaty title, and plays Cameron Norrie next. Lorenzo Musetti, the Lyon champion, beat Frances Tiafoe 7-6 7-5, a useful win against one of his rivals in the race. Tallon Griekspoor beat Brandon Nakashima 6-1 4-6 7-6 and will face top seed Alexander Zverev, who becomes world No. 1 next week if he wins that match and reaches the quarter-finals. Alex de Minaur beat Learner Tien 6-4 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Thursday's key matches
Carlos Alcaraz plays Nikoloz Basilashvili and Zverev faces Griekspoor in Vienna; in Basel, Djokovic meets Struff, Arthur Fils plays Alex Michelsen and Jodar faces Valentin Vacherot. Follow every score on our tennis results page.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- ATP Tour — Djokovic shifts into lockdown mode in Basel, keeps Turin push on track
- Tennis Now — Djokovic Rallies to Win Basel Return, Keeps Turin Hopes Alive