ATP Basel - American Brian Baker rediscovers wining touch in Europe

Looks like American Brian Baker loves playing in Europe. The 27 year old had a remarkable summer in Europe but struggled in the North American hardcourt stretch. Now that the tour has moved back to Europe, the American is winning again.

Baker needed three sets to beat veteran Czech Radek Stepanek 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first round of the Swiss Indoors in Basel. In another first round match, Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci beat Japan’s Go Soeda 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a showdown with top seed Roger Federer next.

Former world no. 3 Nikolay Davydenko upset the other local favourite Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(7), 7-6(3) on Tuesday.

20 year old Australian Bernard Tomic suffered another loss - winning just 2 games against sixth seed Mikhail Youzhny, who won 6-0, 6-2 in less than an hour.

Matthew Ebden beat Romanian lucky loser Victor Hanescu 6-3, 7-6(3); Marco Chiudinelli iscored a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez; Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov upset eighth-seeded Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2 and South Africa’s Kevin Anderson beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 7-6(4), 6-3.