Fritz stuns Zverev in Basel

American Taylor Fritz stunned second seed Alexander Zverev to book his place in the second round of the Swiss Indoors on Tuesday. World number 31 Fritz, who has reached three ATP Tour finals this year, claiming his maiden victory at the Eastbourne International in June, ran out a convincing 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 winner after an hour and 25 minutes on court at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. Fritz had previously lost his opening match at three of his last four tournaments and looked to be heading for the same fate against Zverev, who held a 4-0 lead during the first-set tie-break. However, Fritz was able to battle back to secure an impressive victory over his German opponent, who had been in good form following his run to the final of the Shanghai Masters earlier this month. Zverev had also won the two previous meetings between the players, so Fritz was delighted to get the better of his rival for the first time. “I played really solid, so it feels good to get that win instead of him getting me for the third time in a row,” Fritz told reporters. “I got out there today and the sliders [on my serve] were working well.” Fritz’s reward for reaching round two is a clash with Australian wildcard Alex de Minaur on Wednesday evening after he saw off Hugo Dellien in his first-round match. Other notable winners on Tuesday included third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eased past Albert Ramos Vinolas in straight sets, as well as Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat Marius Copil and now faces a mouthwatering second-round clash with the experienced Richard Gasquet.