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Old 12-26-2015, 03:45 AM   #218
Brian Swartz
Grizzled Veteran
 
Join Date: May 2006
2042 Summer Olympic Games
New Haven, Connecticut -- Hardcourt

It was just four years ago that a Sri Lankan made the singles Olympic draw for the first time; Mehul reached the third round, the round of 16 in the 64-draw format, despite being very much still a youngish 22-year-old and the clay surface at the time. Expectations are much higher here as he is in his prime. Due to the hectic schedule I've mentioned, a number of top players including Iglar and Benda chose not to participate here. That will help them in the Masters, USO, etc. to come, but how can you turn your back on your country? Those opportunities come up every year -- the Olympics are forever though and a unique honor. Girsh was here as well for his first shot at the Games.

Doubles didn't go so well, with a first-round loss as Girsh/Mehul were matched up with the 2-seeds from Sweden. This was actually not a bad thing in the overall scheme as it left more energy for singles where there was more chance to make some noise. Girish Girsh was seeded 9th, and had to play probably the toughest matchup for him in the first round. Swede Olav Birkeland, who had ended his Australian Open at the beginning of the year earlier than expected, did it again by a 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-3 final. In a match where Girsh was the better player by a hair, Birkeland needed only five break chances to convert twice, while Girsh could do no better in eight opportunities. A fairly monstrous disappointment here to go out in the first round, with only two lost matches to show for this year's Olympics. This is not the 'big summer push' that he was hoping for.

Anil Mehul was the top seed and prohibitive favorite with the two other legs of the 'Big Three' sitting it out. Having come back from his latest unjustified, extended vacation, Marcel Bahana was a potential threat in the quarterfinals. The price of his inattention this year quickly came due though as Mehul dominated 6-4, 6-1. The joy of advancing to the medal round was tempered by the sight of Julian Hammerstein opposite in the semifinals. Although he's mostly sworn off singles, he was here and still in good condition. The three-year-long trend of no player winning twice in a row was kept intact as Hammerstein was the sharper man in a 6-4, 6-4 result. Seeded only 10th here, the Austrian was the one player that Mehul was not a clear favorite against, and on this day he had the better timing.

In the bronze medal match, Mehul easily dispatched Federer to at least place Sri Lanka on the podium, but this did not take away much of the sting of losing to his old rival. Hammerstein went on to outlast Gaskell in a 5-set final to take the gold and silver respectively.
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