Taylor Fritz beats Max Purcell 7-6(7), 7-6(4) to winning start in Basel

Taylor Fritz won against Australian Max Purcell 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) to make a winning start and moved into the second round of the Swiss Indoors at the Halle Saint-Jacques in Basel on Wednesday afternoon.

The third seed in Basel who turns 27 on Saturday, improved to 22-2 in opening rounds this season with the result, including a perfect 14-0 mark on hard courts.

“As far as where I’m at in the Race, I think I’m in a good spot,” Fritz said post-match. “I have a pretty decent chance if I can come up with a big result one of these next two weeks [in Basel or Paris].”

“I was lucky to win the first set. I played some really big points really well in important moments in the tie-break,” Fritz said. “I came up pretty clutch in the first set to take it. The second set I was serving well, I was returning better, and I just kind of got in my own way and made it pretty complicated. But I was lucky to refocus and play a good tie-break.”

Taylor Fritz who is placed at No.9 in world’s rankings will face Russian qualifier Alexander Shevchenko next.