Stan Wawrinka made history on Tuesday, becoming one of the oldest winners of an ATP Tour main-draw match.
Spurred on by the Swiss crowd in Basel, Wawrinka defeated Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 7-6 to advance.
Wawrinka, 40, has been competing on the ATP Challenger Tour for much of the year. However, he has recently returned to the premier tier of men’s tennis after receiving wildcards for the Shanghai Masters and the Swiss Indoors Open.
When Wawrinka competed in the Shanghai first round, he became the third-oldest player to make an appearance in a Masters event, behind Ivo Karlovic and Jimmy Connors.
Wawrinka’s most recent victory in Switzerland has earned him a match against former world number two Casper Ruud, who defeated Quentin Halys on Wednesday.
Stan Wawrinka beat Casper Ruud in their only ATP Tour meeting
Wawrinka, who entered the tournament using his protected ranking, was drawn against second seed Casper Ruud at the 2022 Swiss Indoors Open.
Wawrinka upset the odds, defeating the Norwegian 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
After the contest, Wawrinka told the ATP Tour: “It’s super special. A lot of emotion being back here in Basel with the Swiss fans.
“It’s always been amazing for me to play here [but] it’s always been difficult because I am always nervous when I enter this court. I always want to show my best. It took me a little bit of time to adapt to the court but the level was great and I’m really happy with that.”
He added: “This is one of the main reasons why I keep on playing.
“I’m getting old, that’s for sure. I had to fight the last two years with the injury, surgery. Coming back was not easy. I was struggling really to get back in shape physically and tennis-wise.
“So to be able to produce that tonight here in Switzerland is of course something really special and hopefully I can keep playing well.”
Following his defeat of Ruud, the Swiss legend then beat American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
He then suffered a 7-5, 7-6 loss against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
Felix Auger-Aliassime won the tournament, defeating Holger Rune 6-3, 7-5 in the final.
Wawrinka’s performance against Kecmanovic
Wawrinka produced an excellent serving display against his Serbian opponent on Tuesday.
As per Sofascore, Wawrinka made 68 per cent of his first serves, firing down 12 aces. He also won 75 per cent of his first serve points, and 63 per cent of his second serve points.
The 40-year-old only faced one break-point on his serve, while Kecmanovic faced eight.
![Stan Wawrinka vs. Miomir Kecmanovic [2025 Swiss Indoors].](https://cdn1.tennishead.net/uploads/106/2025/10/wawrinka_kecman-min-863x1024.jpg)
If Wawrinka maintains or improves upon his display in this contest, he could cause some serious issues for Casper Ruud in the Swiss Indoors round of 16.
