June 7, 2006
SAN DIEGO - Former San Diego State All-American and three-time letterwinner Alex Waske advanced Wednesday to the doubles championship semifinals of the French Open in Paris, France. Waske and partner Andrei Pavel defeated the tandem of Mahesh Bhupathi and Xavier Malisse, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinal round and will face the world's No. 1 ranked duo of twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan in the second semifinal match on Thursday at Suzanne Lenglen Court.
Waske will be looking for his second doubles victory over the Bryan twins this year after teaming with Michael Kohlmann in April at the ATP International Series tournament in Houston, Texas. Waske and Kohlmannn dispatched the Bryans, 7-5, 6-7(4), 10-7, in the quarterfinal round en route to capturing the event title.
Thursday's match will also mark the second doubles semifinal appearance for Waske in a Grand Slam event. In 2005, he joined forces with Jurgen Melzer at the Australian Open where the pair upset then-No.1 Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in the opening round before bowing in the semis to Wayne Black and Kevin Ulyett.
During his time on Montezuma Mesa, Waske recorded the second-highest singles winning percentage (.793) in Aztec history and is fifth in career singles victories with 65. He also won 27 singles matches in 1999, which places him in a tie for fourth in school history. That same season, he won at a .771 clip (27-8), good for fifth all-time.
Waske was equally impressive in doubles, posting 57 career wins in three seasons. He and Adam Webster combined to win 24 times from 1999-00, an effort that ranks them third in program history. During his tenure, he went 57-20 (.740). His total winning percentage is good for fifth on the Aztecs' all-time list.
Since graduating from SDSU in 2000, Waske has enjoyed a successful run on the professional circuit and currently possesses world rankings of 39 and 94 in doubles and singles, respectively. He has defeated several big-name opponents in singles play over the course of his career, including Rafael Nadal, Carlos Noya, Goran Ivanisevic, Andrea Gaudenzi and Jan Vacek.