Oct. 2, 2006
SAN DIEGO - Alexander Waske, who was a singles All-American in 2000, has helped his home country of Germany secure a spot in the World Group of the 2007 Davis Cup with a singles victory over Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan. Waske defeated Srichaphan, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (12), while playing in place of the fatigued Tommy Haas in this year's World Group Playoffs to give Germany a 3-1 lead. This was the first singles match that Waske had ever played in the Davis Cup; he had competed the previous two years in a doubles duo with Tommy Haas.
With Waske having taken the first two sets, the pressure was on Srichaphan and both players held serve in the third set until the tiebreaker. After four match points, Waske converted on his fifth to seal the victory.
The 31-year-old Waske was a three-time letterwinner for the Aztecs and still ranks second all-time in career winning percentage at .793. In his three years at SDSU, the Aztec men's tennis squad flourished, reaching the NCAA tournament all three years and advancing to the round of 16 in 2000, his final season.
Earlier this year, Waske advanced to the doubles semifinals of the French Open along with his partner Andrei Pavel after defeating Mahesh Bhupathi and Xavier Malisse, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the quarterfinal round. The semifinals appearance is was the second for Waske, who also advanced to the 2005 Australian Open doubles semifinals.
Germany, along with 15 other nations, will play in the first round of the World Group that will begin in February 2007.