The Dallas Open takes place at The Star In Frisco on Wednesday February 5, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Dallas Open)
Taylor Fritz gets a trial by fire in Basel with his first-round match against Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot on Wednesday. Sebastian Korda will also be in action against Ugo Humbert.
(1) Taylor Fritz vs. (WC) Valentin Vacherot
It’s unusual for the No. 1 seed to be the less interesting of the two players in a first-round match, but here we are. Top American Taylor Fritz will be taking on the player that went into the Shanghai Masters as a alternate in qualifying. Valentin Vacherot won nine matches, including a five-match winning streak against seeded players–culminating in a final against his first cousin, Arthur Rinderknech. He won that one, too. Vacherot has now amassed a 12-2 ATP-level record on the season. It is not an exaggeration to call it one of the great Cinderella stories of all time.
That being said, it’s almost impossible to quantify if his out-of-nowhere superpowers will extend beyond the magnolia-shaped arena in Shanghai. Prior to two weeks ago, the man from Monaco had a season of limited success on the Challenger circuit. Now he is a Masters 1000 title holder. That he runs into Fritz is bad luck for Vacherot. Fritz is the world No. 4 and one of the most consistent players on the men’s tour. Unsurprisingly, this is the first meeting between the two men. And as tempting as it is to pick Cinderella because the story is so damn good, I don’t see lightning striking twice.
Cheryl pick: Fritz in 3
Ricky pick: Fritz in 2
Sebastian Korda vs. Ugo Humbert
This will be the second meeting between Sebastian Korda and Ugo Humbert, but the last time they played was way back in 2021 and neither player is the same today as they were four years ago. In fact, Korda isn’t the same player he was last year due to an unlucky series of injuries and even some illnesses. The American’s ranking has dipped to 56th in the world from a career high of 15th just one year ago. The good news for Korda is that he comes into Basel on relatively fresh legs. His health woes mean that he is not as worn down from the season as he might otherwise be. He is also a solid indoor player with a game that historically translates well.
Humbert arrives in Basel following a run to the final in Stockholm just a few days ago. The Frenchman owns four career indoor titles, so–like Korda–playing inside suits him. But he has also played a lot of tennis recently and fatigue may well be a factor against such a strong first-round opponent. This match represents a good opportunity for Korda to pocket some much-needed ranking points.
Cheryl pick: Korda in 3
Ricky pick: Korda in 3
