Pedro Cachin takes Swiss Open, joins growing list of 2023 1st time winners

Before the Swiss Open this week, Argentine Pedro Cachin had one ATP quarterfinal appearance on his resume. What a difference a week can make as he is now an ATP Tour titlist after taking down the wily veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas 3-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Coming into the event in Gstaad, Cachin did not even have 10 match wins on tour this season. However, his big game carried him throughout the tournament.

The final on Sunday at the Swiss Open was a seesaw affair that saw both players have their moments to shine. The Spaniard, who was trying to capture his 5th tour title, started out the calmer of the two and it showed in the opening set.

Ramos-Vinolas was able to dictate the majority of the play with his lefty forehand. He was finding clean winners inside out and inside in. It was different for a player who normally relies on his guile and variety to get results.

Swiss Open belongs to Pedro Cachin

This did not deter Cachin who simply continued hammering away from the baseline as he constantly pushed back his opponent. Cachin must have been watching a lot of Carlos Alcaraz lately, as he also utilized the drop shot to great effect in this match.

The second set was one-way traffic for the Argentine, who has now risen to a new career high of 49 in the world. Ramos-Vinolas also received a medical timeout during this set.

The final set was the best of the match. Both players raised their games to match the occasion. Cachin let slip a break lead but he still was able to dig deep and get back on track as he brought home the title in a nail-biting deciding set.

It was a brilliant final match that saw the best of both players and had enough drama to suit that of a tournament final.

In the end, experience was not enough to carry Ramos-Vinolas across the line as he was simply beaten by the better player on the day. Cachin did not play like a 28-year-old journeyman in his first tour-level final.

He is now the 5th first-time winner this season joining the likes of Sonwoo Kwon, Christopher Eubanks, Tallon Griekspoor, and Wu Yibing.