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Old 04-19-2016, 07:19 PM   #315
Brian Swartz
Grizzled Veteran
 
Join Date: May 2006
World Team Cup Finals
Czech Republic(2nd) vs. Sri Lanka(5th), Indoor

So here we are. The plot is simple; Sri Lanka will likely claim it's first-ever championship if either Mehul or Girsh can do what they couldn't manage at the end of the WTF -- knock off Antonin Iglar. Doubles is pretty much a guaranteed loss, and Marcek shouldn't be much of a threat, so it boils down to that. I'd say based on recent events we should be slight favorites here.

Monday -- Iglar vs. Girsh

This right here is our best chance. Girsh got off to a fast start, leading 6-3, 4-1 but then nearly gave the second set away. Iglar came back strong in the third, and the fourth was close for the first half until the world no. 1 saved some break chances in the sixth game, then surged to the lead with a break of his own in the seventh. After leading 2-0, Girsh found himself in a fifth set he should have been able to avoid, and dumped his serve again right away. He was behind for the first time in the match. By the time he got back in the fight it was already 4-0. He won three straight games, but couldn't get the second break back. An epic collapse here, and it may have cost Sri Lanka our first world title. 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 is the final, a match we won't soon be able to forget. If all else goes well, Mehul will still have a chance to get us the needed win on Thursday ... but this looked over after the first set and a half. It almost certainly should have been over, but it wasn't. A tough one to swallow. The break points tell the story; Iglar was 6 of 9, Girsh 5 of 17. He had every opportunity, particularly in the middle of the fourth when the Czech was serving at 2-3.
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