Reilly Opelka arrived in Basel carrying a five-match losing streak and nearly added to his troubles, coming close to a straight-sets loss against Mika Brunold in the first qualifying round. Trailing 2-6 in the second-set tiebreak, he staged a remarkable comeback and has since won six sets in a row to reach the second round, including a victory over Botic van de Zandschulp in the final qualifying round.
Opelka now has five wins in eight matches on indoor hard courts this year. While this may not seem impressive for a player of his serving calibre, it is a notable milestone for him, marking the first time he has reached five indoor wins in a single season this decade. It underscores just how much he has underperformed on indoor hard courts despite his significant weapons.
In fact, Opelka has only twice reached the quarterfinals at an indoor event outside the United States, and he is now aiming for a third. Notably, one of his best indoor runs came here in Basel during his sole previous visit in 2019, when he reached the semifinals before falling in a tight three-set battle to Alex de Minaur in the match for a spot in the final.
Botic van de Zandschulp has endured a difficult period on tour over the past few years, so it is a refreshing change to see some good fortune finally come his way. Initially given a chance to enter the main draw as a lucky loser, he then found himself in the right place at the right time against Jiri Lehecka, who was coming off a long campaign in Brussels and lacked sufficient energy for their opening-round clash. The Dutchman capitalized, cruising to a 6-2, 6-2 victory and claiming a notable top-20 scalp.
In contrast to Opelka, van de Zandschulp has thrived on indoor hard courts, producing several strong results over the years, as reflected in his impressive 120–56 career record on this surface. He enters this clash with a 0-3 record in the second round at ATP Basel, but all three losses came against top-20 players: Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Head-to-head: Tied at 1-1. Reilly Opelka would theoretically have the edge in this matchup on the super-fast Basel courts, given the weapons at his disposal. However, his inconsistent record on indoor hard courts and frequent underperformance on this surface make it difficult to fully trust him to deliver a win.