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All of this leads up to present events. With both Mehul and Chittoor placing in the Top 200 at the start of the year, Sri Lanka was admitted back into the World Team Cup. After 7 years of working up to it, the first major goal was achieved! The pair served as #1 and #2 singles respectively, with Mehul teaming alongside veteran Prakash Nilima in doubles. They smashed their way through the group stage with a mark of 13-2 in matches, 42-8 in sets, best of any Level 4 competitor!
The quarterfinals, bane of Sri Lanka four times in the past, were no different. Ecuador fell 4-1, then Lithuania in the semifinals and Egypt in the final by the same count. Nobody at this bottom level could compete with the two high-powered rising stars. Most of the matches lost were in the doubles.
This week, the 51st week of 2037, Sri Lanka is drawn against Lithuania again. Pairings are based on overall world rankings, and in this case it is their loss. Sri Lanka has risen from 86th to 69th with the successes this year but is still the lowest-ranked team in the playoff, while Lithuania at 31st is the highest-ranked. I have high confidence that we will stomp them again, allowing us to move up for the 2038 season.
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