Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko (100) defeated Frenchman Alexandre Muller (132) 3:6, 6:3, 6:4 in the first round of the Swiss Open Gstaad 2026. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The match started difficultly for the Rostov-on-Don native, who has been playing for Kazakhstan since 2024. After losing his serve in the sixth game, Shevchenko could not compensate for the break – 3:6.
The second set mirrored the first. The Kazakhstani player made a break in the fourth game and did not allow the Frenchman to break back until the end of the set – 6:3.
Catching the winning streak, Shevchenko followed the same path. Taking the opponent's serve in the fifth game of the deciding set, he stopped the match clock at exactly 2 hours – 3:6, 6:3, 6:4. The ace count was 13:3, total points won – 94:85.
In the second round, Shevchenko will face Dominic Stricker (360). The Swiss, who received a wild card from the organizers, defeated strong Spaniard Jaume Munar (44) 6:2, 6:4 in the first round.
The day before, Timofey Skatov (163), who won the qualification, lost in the first round of the main draw to Belgian Raphael Collignon (42) – 6:3, 6:7 (1:7), 4:6.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik (11) skips the first round. In the second round, he will play against Frenchman Quentin Halys (90), who defeated Italian Federico Cinà (184) 6:3, 3:6, 7:6 (8:6) in the first round.
The Swiss Open Gstaad, the open tennis championship of Switzerland, has been held since 1915. Until 1967, it was held in different cities, and in 1968 it found a permanent location in Gstaad, a popular ski resort in the Swiss Alps. It is considered the highest altitude ATP tournament in Europe (1050 meters above sea level).
Since 2009, the tournament has been classified as ATP 250. The total prize fund is €612,500.
Over the years, the Swiss Open Gstaad has been won by Swiss Roger Federer, Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Swedish Stefan Edberg, Argentine Guillermo Vilas, and other stars.