Three of Friday’s four quarterfinal matches at the Swiss Indoors Basel ended in retirements, dealing setbacks to players looking to gain ground in the Nitto ATP Finals race.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked No. 9 in the Turin standings, retired after dropping his opening set 6-3 to Jaume Munar due to a left knee injury. Shortly after, countryman Denis Shapovalov bowed out while trailing Joao Fonseca 4-1 in the deciding set, citing a right knee issue. The 19-year-old Fonseca advanced to his first ATP 500 semifinal. Casper Ruud, meanwhile, retired with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina leading 7-6 (1) after receiving treatment for leg and foot discomfort. Ruud, currently No. 11 in the ATP Finals race, effectively acts as No. 10 with Jack Draper sidelined for the season.
The only completed match saw Ugo Humbert defeat Reilly Opelka 7-6 (0), 6-4.
Both Ruud and Auger-Aliassime were coming off recent ATP 250 titles in Stockholm and Brussels, respectively, making their early exits a boost for rivals seeking to secure a spot in Turin.
Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur, currently in the seventh qualifying spot, reached the semifinals at this week’s other ATP 500 in Vienna by defeating Matteo Berrettini. A victory over Jannik Sinner on Saturday could propel de Minaur past Taylor Fritz to No. 5 and push Ben Shelton down a spot.
Lorenzo Musetti, trailing de Minaur in the race, also has the chance to shake up the standings. The Italian faces Corentin Moutet for a spot in the semifinals against second seed Alexander Zverev. A run to the final could see Musetti overtake Shelton, and a tournament victory would move him ahead of Fritz, further reshaping the ATP Finals picture.
