Wawrinka makes the decision – Switzerland beats Germany

The Swiss Davis Cup team won against Germany in Trier thanks to victories by Marc-Andrea Hüsler and Stan Wawrinka in the individual on Saturday and reached the final tournament introduced in 2019 for the first time.

After the balanced first day, it was clear that the Swiss needed an exploit either in doubles or against double Masters winner Alexander Zverev (ATP 14). Marc-Andrea Hüsler (ATP 53), one of the climbers of the last year, delivered this. The tireless marathon man Stan Wawrinka (ATP 135), who was the only one to appear three times, then got the decisive third point. But he had to suffer for it.

Enduring Wawrinka

Wawrinka led 6: 3 and 4: 2 against Davis Cup debutant Daniel Altmaier (ATP 91), who had to stand in for the insufficient Oscar Otte and the injured Jan-Lennard Struff, and seemed to have everything under control. But the Vaudois’s strength was increasingly dwindling. He lost the second set and faced two break points in the third at 1-2.

The 37-year-old fended them off and immediately started the last turn on this day of rollercoaster rides. In the following game, the German, who describes the Romand as one of his idols, had to give up the serve with the one-handed backhand. After 2:33 hours, Wawrinka just barely crossed the finish line with 6:3, 5:7, 6:4. He had already been on the pitch for a good two and a half hours in doubles.

This means that the Swiss are in the final round of the 16 best teams introduced in 2019 for the first time, which will take place in September with four groups of four at locations that have yet to be determined. And, perhaps just as important: in the arena in Trier, which was sold out twice with 4,000 spectators, they won against Germany for the first time on the tenth attempt.

Cooler Husler

Wawrinka got the decisive point on his comeback in the team competition after almost eight years, but the big man in the match was Marc-Andrea Hüsler. The left-hander from Rüschlikon on Lake Zurich won both singles on Friday and Saturday and almost got into a frenzy in the 6: 2, 7: 6 (7: 4) against Zverev. He would also have been an option for the doubles, but Captain Severin Lüthi decided to rest Hüsler for the singles that followed immediately after the doubles and was right.

Won both singles: Marc-Andrea Hüsler.Bild: keystone

Hüsler pushed the pace both on his own serve and on the return and had everything under control – until he served the match at 5:4. The 26-year-old left-hander gave up his service to zero, but reacted with his usual coolness. In the tie-break, the Zurich player from Rüschlikon had the reins firmly in hand again and no longer trembled at the second match point.

In the end it no longer mattered that Wawrinka and Dominic Stricker lost 7:6 (7:3), 3:6, 4:6 to the doubles specialists Andreas Mies/Tim Pütz despite a good performance. (nih/sda)

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