Henry Bernet and Dominic Stricker fell just short of a historic home title at the Swiss Indoors on Sunday afternoon, losing the doubles final to French specialists Théo Arribagé and Albano Olivetti 6:7 (6:8), 6:7 (6:8) at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel.
Bernet and Stricker Reach the Basel Final
Playing in the tournament on a wildcard, 19-year-old local player Henry Bernet and 24-year-old partner Dominic Stricker carved their names into the tournament’s record books. They became the first all-Swiss pair to reach the doubles final in the history of the Basel tournament, which has been held since 1976. Past Swiss winners such as Jakob Hlasek and Marc Rosset previously triumphed with international partners. To reach the championship match, Bernet and Stricker scored a 6:4, 6:4 upset victory over the top-seeded German team of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz in one hour and five minutes.
Tiebreak Heartbreak Against Arribagé and Olivetti
In Sunday’s final, the young Swiss duo went toe-to-toe with third-seeded Théo Arribagé and Albano Olivetti, but missed chances proved costly. In the opening set, Bernet and Stricker played solidly on serve and faced no break points, yet failed to convert three break opportunities of their own. They fought back from 3:6 down in the ensuing tiebreak to save three set points before dropping it 8:6. The Swiss actually won three more points than their opponents in the first set overall. The second set saw the French pair break early, though Stricker answered with a well-executed lob to spark a hard-fought break back to 4:4. Another tiebreak followed, where Arribagé and Olivetti claimed the decisive points once more at 8:6.
Heartbreaking 💔We lose against Clément Tabur in 3 sets and are out of Roanne 🇫🇷That first set choke was extremely sad to watch, there was 3 set points…Next ? Probably the Swiss Indoors in 2 weeks, either main draw or qualifying WC pic.twitter.com/7NZcqpqZtS
Experience and Routine Decide the Championship
Seasoned tour routine ultimately tipped the scales in the crucial moments of the tiebreaks. While Bernet and Stricker displayed immense composure and fighting spirit throughout the week in front of their home crowd, their opponents possessed the established doubles expertise that defines their place on the ATP tour. Arribagé and Olivetti are set to compete at the upcoming ATP Finals. For reaching the final, Bernet and Stricker collected 42,330 euros each in prize money, an amount that is roughly two-thirds of their respectively earned prize money for the year.
Valentin Vacherot Claims the Singles Crown
While the doubles final slipped away, the singles draw concluded with an unexpected champion. The unseeded Valentin Vacherot of Monaco defeated eighth-seeded Czech player Jiri Lehecka 2:6, 6:3, 6:3 to become the first Monegasque winner of the Swiss Indoors. Lehecka had previously eliminated Swiss participants Jérôme Kym and Stan Wawrinka earlier in the week before falling to Vacherot in a nearly two-hour final.
