Vacherot Comes Back to Beat Lehecka in Basel Final for Second Career Title

Valentin Vacherot of Monaco beat eighth seed Jiri Lehecka of Czechia 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday to win the Swiss Indoors Basel. The final of the ATP 500 event was played at St. Jakobshalle in Basel.

Lehecka controlled the first set. He moved ahead 4-1 with two breaks and took the set 6-2. He won 74 percent of his service points in that set, against 38 percent for Vacherot.

The second set turns the match

Vacherot raised his level in the second set. He broke serve in the fourth game and held on to close the set 6-3. His first serve points won rose from 45 percent in the opening set to 80 percent in the second. He also saved all four break points he faced in that set, a sharp change from the first set, when Lehecka broke him twice with room to spare.

Lehecka kept pushing on return, but the chances came and went, and the final went to a deciding set.

Four straight points close it out

Vacherot broke Lehecka in the opening game of the third set. He saved a break point in the sixth game to stay ahead. At 5-3, Lehecka served at 40-15 to stay in the match. Vacherot won four straight points from there, broke serve again, and finished the comeback.

The title is Vacherot's second career ATP Tour title and his first trophy of the 2026 season. His first title was the Shanghai Masters in October 2025, won after he came through qualifying.

The result also guarantees Vacherot a return to the top 30 in the rankings, two weeks after he dropped out of that group. His ranking had fallen to No. 32 after a third round exit in his defence of the Shanghai title. Vacherot, 27, had an injury disrupted 2026 season before this title. Injury disrupted a significant part of his clay court season, and further physical problems forced him to miss Wimbledon.

The road to the final

Vacherot beat Mariano Navone, third seed Rafael Jodar, and Holger Rune on his way through the draw. In the semifinal on Saturday, October 31, he beat sixth seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (5), 6-3. That win put him in his first final since the Shanghai title a year earlier.

Lehecka reached the final in a harder way on Saturday. He beat Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the semifinal, saving a match point when he served at 4-5 in the second set. Earlier in the week Lehecka beat Stan Wawrinka in Wawrinka's final match in Basel, then beat Daniel Altmaier and wild card Jerome Kym. Tennis Majors listed Lehecka as world No. 20 going into the final.

Both men now move to Paris. Next week Vacherot faces Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Paris Masters 1000. Lehecka faces Alex Michelsen in the Paris first round, with Carlos Alcaraz waiting in the second round.