Wawrinka forgets 2 losses to win crucial match and book Switzerland's spot in Davis Cup Finals
ATP
Switzerland and Germany faced off at the Arena Trier in Germany for the spot in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, and after five matches, Stan Wawrinka became his country's hero.
The tie between these two countries was probably the most-anticipated clash of the Qualifiers. On Friday, Marc-Andrea Huesler put his country ahead after he was able to beat Germany's Oscar Otte 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
But Alexander Zverev soon tied the score by beating Wawrinka in the second match of the tie. On Saturday, Germany started with a comeback win in doubles, as Andreas Mies and Tim Puetz bested Dominic Stricker and Wawrinka 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4.
Huesler was then able to win again, this time stunning the 2020 US Open finalist Zverev. Wawrinka, who lost his first singles match and also lost in doubles, needed to forget those two losses and focus on the most important match, the one against Daniel Altmaier.
Initially, Oscar Otte was supposed to take on the three-time Grand Slam champion, but Germany changed their nomination, and it was Altmaier who they relied on.
It was a proper battle for the qualifying spot, with both players battling it out for every single point. In the first set, Wawrinka was the better player, mostly because he was able to win many points on his opponent's second serve and use the only break point of the set to win it 6-3.
But in the second set, Altmaier was able to grind out a 7-5 win, despite still struggling on his second serve. Although the German player slightly improved in the third set, it was still not enough to win the match.
Wawrinka used all of his experience to win this crucial match, as he managed to beat Altmaier 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 and secure Switzerland's spot at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, which will take place from September 12th to 17th.
