Swiss Indoors Basel 2015: Thursday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Draw Schedule
Roger Federer delighted his home crowd on Thursday as he secured his spot in the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors with a thrilling win over Philipp Kohlschreiber in Round 2.
After the shock elimination of Stanislas Wawrinka on Monday, the veteran is the only home player left in the draw and will remain the big favourite for the title despite a wobble in the second set of this one. Donald Young, Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic, Jack Sock and Richard Gasquet also progressed with wins on the day.
Here’s a recap of Thursday’s results in full and a closer examination of some of the standout moments from another absorbing day in Basel.
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| (1) Roger Federer | Philipp Kohlschreiber | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
| Donald Young | (4) Kevin Anderson | 6-2, 7-6(6) |
| (5) Richard Gasquet | Dominic Thiem | 7-6(1), 6-4 |
| Jack Sock | (6) John Isner | 7-6(5), 6-3 |
| (7) Marin Cilic | Teymuraz Gabashvili | 6-3, 6-1 |
| Ivo Karlovic | Dusan Lajovic | 7-6(4), 7-5 |
Federer Battles Through
Kohlschreiber has proved himself to be something of a dangerous opponent in the past, but early on, Federer looked to ensure there would be no chance of an upset in front of an adoring crowd.
The Swiss barely moved out of first gear in the opening set, pouncing to take one of three break points and never looking in trouble on his serve on the way to a 6-4 score.
As we can see here courtesy of Live Tennis, things were looking ominous from an early stage for the German:
"No problem for #Federer. He's halfway to win no. 11 vs Kohlschreiber as he leads 6-4 in Basel. pic.twitter.com/W00fhHBu2g
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) October 29, 2015"
However, Kohlschreiber showed his mettle. In the following stanza, he battled magnificently for every point, and after keeping the second set on serve, he snaffled a break to take it 6-4.
It was a response that did seem to shock Federer, but he responded well in the decider, showing a much more ruthless side to his play and taking it 6-4 to set up a clash with David Goffin in the quarters.
Young showed glimpses against Kevin Anderson to suggest he could eventually rival the 17-time grand slam champion for overall glory, as he turned in a classy display.
The American was scintillating in the opening stanza with a lopsided 6-2 win, while he was forced to dig deep in the second, taking it 7-6(6) after a gripping tiebreak. Next up for Young will be his compatriot Sock, who will be involved in his second all-American showdown of the week.
Indeed, the youngster was a very impressive victor over John Isner on Thursday, running out a 7-6(5), 6-3 winner over the sixth seed. Afterwards, Sock admitted playing against good friends is not something he necessarily relishes.
“Those matches are never fun, playing one of your best friends on the tour,” per the ATP World Tour website. “It never sits too well after the match. It's part of the game. Somebody's got to win. He's done it to me a few times. Fortunately, today I was able to get through.”
As we can see here courtesy of TennisTV, Sock’s dynamism on the court was central to his victory over the big-serving Isner:
Gasquet still has a slim chance of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals at the end of the year, but he knows he needs to win this tournament and the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris to do so.
The Frenchman was composed in a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over Dominic Thiem but faces an unenviable task against the imposing Ivo Karlovic in the quarter-finals.
Having already eliminated home favourite Wawrinka in Round 1 with a peerless show of serving, the Croatian powered past Dusan Lajovic, 7-6(4), 7-5.
As noted by The Tennis Island, Karlovic showed he has the mental strength to step up in critical points of the match during this clash:
Cilic set-up a mouthwatering clash with Rafael Nadal in the quarters, blitzing his way past Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-1.
The Spaniard has had to battle hard in both of his matches in Basel so far, and it’ll be intriguing to see whether the former U.S. Open champion has what’s required to get the better of his illustrious opponent.
Federer, who is chasing a remarkable seventh title in this event, remains the big favourite for glory as the quarter-final lineup was completed on Thursday. But given the regularity of shock results in the early stages of the competition, you can guarantee the home hero won’t have things his own way in pursuit of overall victory.
Updated draw and schedule available via the ATP World Tour website.
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