Gstaad (Switzerland), July 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) On an eventful day at the Swiss Open 2026 at Gstaad, the top three seeds failed to survive Friday’s action as top seed Alexander Bublik, Casper Ruud, and Valentin Vacherot all suffered defeat in the ATP 250 event being played on clay in this Swiss town.
Quentin Halys overcame Bublik in three sets while Juan Manuel Cerundolo stunned Norwegian Casper Ruud, the second seed in the event.
Cerundolo, who rallied from two sets and a double break down to stun the physically struggling World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros in May, rediscovered his penchant for a hard-earned upset by downing Ruud 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. The second-seeded Ruud led 4-2 in the second set, but was unable to prevent Cerundolo from completing an impressive quarter-final turnaround after two hours and 15 minutes.
“I put all my energy into trying to feel my best,” Cerundolo said in his on-court interview. “He was beating me well. He was doing better and a break up with the wind in his favour. He made maybe two mistakes so that I could come back in the second set. The break point was unbelievable… Then I managed to win the game, and I started playing really well.”
The No. 45 player in the ATP Rankings, Cerundolo, is the only player to have defeated Ruud in Gstaad, where he also prevailed against the 2021 and 2022 champion in the 2025 quarter-finals. The sixth-seeded Argentine will now prepare for a semi-final meeting with Belgium’s Raphael Collignon, who earlier sank third seed Valentin Vacherot 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Quentin Halys settled in quickly on the second day of his rain-interrupted meeting with top seed Alexander Bublik to notch an upset of his own on the Swiss mountain clay. The French World No. 90 returned to court serving at 5-6 in the deciding set of the pair’s second-round clash and soon held firm for a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(5) victory.
“Coming back at 5-6 in the third set, it was strange, but I think the level was really high from the side yesterday and even more today,” Halys said. “I’m so pleased. He is such a good player, and he serves crazy well here with the conditions, so I’m so happy I managed to go through this match.”
Halys won 92 per cent (46/50) of points behind his first serve against World No. 11 Bublik, according to Infosys ATP Stats. However, the 29-year-old was unable to back up his victory when he returned to court to face Aleksandr Shevchenko, who overcame home hope Dominic Stricker 7-6(5), 6-2 in another match suspended from Thursday evening, in the quarter-finals. Shevchenko triumphed 7-6(5), 6-3 to set a semi-final showdown with fourth seed Arthur Rinderknech or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Source: IANS
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