Is the local hero’s slump over?

For the Swiss crowd, which had to watch legend Stan Wawrinka’s first-round exit, among other things, wild-card entrant Dominic Stricker’s victory was a real cause for celebration. For a whole year, the country’s once-promising tennis hope—who had fallen on hard times—hadn’t won a single singles match on the ATP Tour, and now, of all opponents, he secured a dominant 2-0 victory over Jaume Munar, who is so strong on clay and was seeded in Gstaad. Accordingly, the bet to watch in the Alexander Shevchenko vs. Dominic Stricker match is that the Swiss player will also overcome the next hurdle.

If the local hero—who, after a long stretch marked by injury and motivation issues, has pulled off a real coup, even from an emotional standpoint—starts off just as strongly against the Kazakh as he did against Jaume Munar, against whom he raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set, then the prediction for Alexander Shevchenko vs. Dominic Stricker should very likely favor a Swiss victory. After all, Alexander Shevchenko is known for being physically strong on the one hand, but on the other hand for being very prone to fluctuations in concentration and for having a competitive mindset that doesn’t always function at the very highest level—a factor that repeatedly gets in his way.

So if the 23-year-old Swiss player, backed by his “home crowd,” takes a 1-0 lead, a comeback would likely be very difficult for the world No. 100 from Kazakhstan, even from a psychological standpoint. We therefore see significant value in betting on a 2-0 victory for the local hero.

Another problem is that Alexander Shevchenko relies heavily on his serve, which once again produced 13 aces and an 81 percent first-serve winning percentage in his opening match. However, it’s well known that a strong serve is significantly more vulnerable on clay than on other surfaces. To make matters worse, the Kazakh player already faced twelve break points in the first round.

Alexander Shevchenko – Dominic Stricker Head-to-Head Record

Head-to-Head: 0:0

No ranked singles match has ever taken place between these two players on the ATP Tour. Therefore, there is no “head-to-head” data available that could influence our prediction for Alexander Shevchenko vs. Dominic Stricker in any way.

Alexander Shevchenko – Dominic Stricker Prediction

With his opening-round victory—which ended his long losing streak—and the home crowd behind him, Dominic Stricker has the momentum on his side. The Swiss player displayed great tactical discipline against Jaume Munar, who is very strong on clay; he played boldly and freely, especially on his break points, and repeatedly struck with a powerful forehand. Although his Kazakh opponent is physically very strong, he repeatedly stands out negatively for lapses in concentration—as was the case in the first round, when he dropped a set to Alexandre Müller.

Much will depend on whether the local hero gets off to a start as strong as he did against Jaume Munar, against whom he quickly took a 4-0 lead after a lightning-fast start. The Kazakh player, who at times appears unstable, is unlikely to recover from such a deficit, which is why we see great value in betting that the Swiss player will also win his second match at the 2026 Swiss Open 2-0. For this, Bet-at-home is offering odds of 2.90 on Alexander Shevchenko to beat Dominic Stricker, and we’re cautiously placing a bet of two out of ten units on it.