For the second tournament in a row, Ruud had to see himself beaten in the first round. With one exception in each set, she dominated her own serve, but Wawrinka used the exception to get the break she needed.

– It was a little difficult today. The serve broke once in each set and I couldn’t reply. I had a few opportunities that I failed to take and made some reckless mistakes. Indoor hard courts have never been my strength, and it turns out that again I can be a bit vulnerable on that surface, Ruud told NTB.

– I’ll try to be better at it. There are some dour losses right now, but I’m motivated to try and turn them around.

Wawrinka has three Grand Slam titles to her credit. He is at best number three in the world, the same position Ruud has now, but the 37-year-old is struggling with a serious injury and is currently 194th.

In the first set, Ruud won four of his five service games cleanly, but for the fourth time he served, Wawrinka not only took the points, he also broke the Norwegian.

Broken stats

It was the only break of service in the set, which the home favorites won 6-4. Ruud had three break points at 3-4 but failed to convert any of them, and home favorites Switzerland left the set.

In the second set, Wawrinka took just one point off Ruud’s serve before she broke it to 5-4. He then served at home after one hour 18 minutes.

– Stan plays a little faster than I train at home. “I was impressed with what he put out,” said Ruud.

Ruud’s previous defeat on Swiss soil came in a qualifier in Basel in 2019. Since then, he has won four tournaments in the Alpine nation. Four of his nine ATP titles have been won in Switzerland, including two of his three titles this year. It was in Geneva and Gstaad, both on gravel.

feeling

Wawrinka was full of emotion after winning.

– I was very nervous before the game. I always wanted to do well here in Basel and it was very emotional for me to beat Casper. “For the sake of the public, I continued to persevere despite the injuries and hardships, and they helped me a lot today,” he said.

The Swiss will meet American Brandon Nakashima in the next round.

Roger Federer, who recently retired, won the tournament in his hometown of Basel 10 of the last 14 years it was held. The tournament was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Federer last won in 2019.

Ruud’s next assignment is the Masters1000 tournament in Paris next week.