Vacherot joins Federer and Djokovic as a Shanghai and Basel champion

The unseeded Monegasque beat eighth seed Jiri Lehecka 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Basel on Sunday, a year after his Shanghai triumph. He returns to the top 30, and Novak Djokovic awaits in Paris.

1 November 2026

Cédric Rouquette

Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot came from a set down to beat eighth seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Basel on Sunday.

The unseeded world No. 32 joins Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only players to have won titles in both Shanghai and Basel.

It is his first title since his win in Shanghai a year ago, and he had reached his first final since then on Saturday. He will return to the top 30 on Monday, at No. 27.

Vacherot recovers from a bad start in the Basel final

Vacherot started badly. Trailing 4-2 in the first set, he threw his racquet close to a ball kid, and Lehecka went on to take the opener 6-2. The Monegasque then turned the final around, winning the next two sets 6-3, 6-3.

His week in Basel had already been a demanding one. He beat third seed Rafael Jodar 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (5) in the round of 16, Holger Rune 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals and sixth seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Lehecka misses out on a first Czech title since 2004

Lehecka, the world No. 20, was bidding to become the first Czech champion in Basel since 2004. He had come back from a set down to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the semi-finals.

Both men move straight on to the Rolex Paris Masters. Lehecka opens against Alex Michelsen, with Carlos Alcaraz awaiting the winner. Vacherot’s reward for his title is a first-round meeting with Djokovic.