Casper Ruud, in a season where his favored clay surface has rarely been on his side, has found an unexpected boost on indoor hard courts. He has won an impressive 11 of just 12 matches on this surface over the past ten months, marking the most indoor hard-court wins he has ever achieved in a single season.
The Norwegian has played in only two indoor ATP events this year but made impressive runs in both. He finished as runner-up to Denis Shapovalov in Dallas and then claimed the title in Stockholm last week, dominating Ugo Humbert in the final and describing it as one of his best performances in recent times.
The unexpected title win in Stockholm has given Ruud a chance to climb back into the ATP top 10 and secure qualification for the ATP Finals, a tournament he has reached in each of the past three editions. He will need more strong performances to solidify his spot in Turin, and he will aim to continue that push in Basel this week, where he has historically struggled, losing three of his previous four main-draw matches at this venue.
Quentin Halys is normally a highly competent and competitive player on indoor hard courts, so his struggles on this surface over the past ten months highlight what a difficult year he has had in 2025, particularly with fitness. He has a 1-4 record on indoor hard courts this year and even lost in straight sets to Remy Bertola in Basel qualifying just a few days ago, entering the main draw only as a lucky loser.
The big-serving Frenchman, who has won over 150 career matches on indoor hard courts, including 25 in 2024 alone, has faced a top-20 player on this surface only once in his career. He put up a valiant fight in that encounter, losing 6-7, 3-6 to Grigor Dimitrov in Stockholm last year.
Head-to-head: Casper Ruud leads 2-1.Under normal circumstances, Quentin Halys could be considered a genuine threat to Ruud on fast indoor courts like Basel. However, given his recent struggles and Ruud’s impressive form, highlighted by his Stockholm title last week, the favorite’s status firmly rests with the Norwegian.
