17:17
coin toss
After quite a long time of doctoring about the height of the net, the choice of place is finally taking place. The coin falls in favor of Hüsler, who decides to hit back. Then both play another four minutes.
17:09
performance and national anthems
Meanwhile, our protagonists are on the hard court in the Arena Trier. As usual in the Davis Cup, all players from both teams are introduced first. Of course, the captains Michael Kohlmann and Severin Lüthi are also part of it. And of course the national anthems shouldn’t be missing either. International match!
17:03
Head 2 Head
For the second time, both professionals face each other on the tennis court. The only duel so far was in autumn 2020 at a challenger in Hamburg. The first round match clearly went to Otte in two sets (6:2, 6:3).
16:57
Davis Cup appearances
Oscar Otte is certainly not a guarantee of success in the Davis Cup. The Rhinelander was nominated for the first time in 2022, has played four matches so far and lost them all. Only against Belgian David Goffin did he score at least one set. His opponent has been playing Davis Cup since 2018. Nine matches are recorded – five of them singles. The Swiss has two wins and three defeats.
16:47
Marc Andrea Husler
This is exactly what unites him with Marc-Andrea Hüsler. In addition to the five challengers, the Zurich native has also won an ATP tournament – the 250 in Sofia 2022. The 26-year-old has been rare at the larger events so far, was in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament three times and said goodbye always immediately. At the 1,000 in Paris 2022, the left-hander played in the main draw of a Masters for the first time – and at least reached the second round. In the world rankings, Hüsler is currently better than Otte, is 53rd and recently moved up two places.
16:37
Oscar Otte
Oscar Otte is the first to start for the Germans. The man from Cologne is currently number 80 in the world, but was listed as number 36 last year. It wasn’t enough to win a tournament on the ATP tour. After all, the 29-year-old reached the round of 16 of the US Open in 2021 (best major result). At the Masters level, the right-hander never got past the second round. Otte has already won at least five Challenger titles.
16:27
qualification
These days there is a qualifying round with twelve duels. It’s about getting into the Davis Cup Finals, for which hosts Spain, Italy and last year’s two finalists Canada and Australia are seeded. Only the 12 winners will be allowed to play the group matches in Málaga in September, where the top eight teams will go through to the knockout stages. Germany made it to this quarter-final last year, giving them the right to start this season. Switzerland, on the other hand, comes from World Group I, where it ultimately held its own against Ecuador last September and is therefore allowed to contest this qualification.
16:17
Welcome
Welcome to Davis Cup 2023! Today and tomorrow, Germany and Switzerland meet in the Arena Trier. Oscar Otte and Marc-Andrea Hüsler will open the debate at 5 p.m. with the first individual.