Malaga, Spain – In what is considered the highest level of Davis Cup competition, the Davis Cup Finals are down to the final eight nations after the group stage wrapped up in September cutting the remaining field in half.
Set up as a team competition pinning nation against nation, the eight remaining countries include Australia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the United States.
Of these eight remaining nations, several former and current collegiate tennis players make up the player nominations as Canada, Croatia, and Germany all have at least one player with collegiate ties on the roster.
For team Canada, Gabriel Diallo (Kentucky) and Alexis Galarneau (NC State) make up two of the five players who will be looking to bring Canada its first Davis Cup Championship in the Tournaments over 100-year history.
Diallo, who is still an active collegiate player at Kentucky, helped lead the Wildcats to an NCAA Runner-Up finish this past spring while ranking within the Top Ten of the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Diallo is currently one of the highest-ranked active collegiate players in the ATP Rankings coming in at No. 224 in the latest ATP Singles Rankings.
Galarneau spent his collegiate days at NC State where he was a two-time ITA All-American and three-time First Team All-ACC selection. He currently ranks No. 204 in the world for singles and has made many deep runs in ATP Challenger events over the past year.
For Croatia, Borna Gojo (Wake Forest) will look to help the Croatians to back-to-back Davis Cup Championship appearances after Russia took them down in the Championship match in last year’s competition.
Gojo was a three-time ITA Singles All-American during his time with the Demon Deacons helping them to the 2018 NCAA National Championship where they took down Ohio State. Ranking No. 145 in the world, Gojo reached the main draw of the 2022 French Open and has seen his ATP Singles Ranking continue to climb this year.
Finally for Team Germany, Yannick Hanfmann (USC) and Tim Puetz (Auburn) will be representing their country this week in Spain as the Germans will try to advance to the Championship of the Davis Cup Finals for the first time since 1993.
Hanfmann was an integral part of the last USC team to win an NCAA National Championship back in 2014. A three-time ITA All-American, Hanfmann elevated his game each season at the collegiate level and now in his eighth year as a pro, is nearing the Top 100 of the ATP Singles Rankings.
Puetz, who will serve as a doubles specialist for Germany, played collegiately at Auburn where he was a two-time ITA All-American and ranked within the Top 15 of both the ITA Collegiate Tennis Singles and Doubles Rankings during his time with the Tigers. Puetz currently ranks No. 18 in the ATP Doubles Rankings.
Play from the 2022 Davis Cup Finals is set to begin today, November 22, and will run through November 27. Croatia is set to play on Wednesday, November 23 while Canada and Germany will face off on Thursday, November 24.
Team Canada
- Gabriel Diallo, Kentucky
- Alexis Galarneau, NC State
Team Croatia
- Borna Gojo, Wake Forest
Team Germany
- Yannick Hanfmann, USC
- Tim Puetz, Auburn
