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Brian Swartz · 01-10-2018, 06:57 PM

December

World Team Cup Finals
Sri Lanka vs. Spain

#1 vs. #2. Last two world champions. Couldn't have a better setup here. Everything pretty much went as expected, leading up to the critical clash on Thursday between Ritwik Dudwadkar and Martin Zarco. We faced elimination with Spain up 2-1, but in reality they were in just as much jeopardy as Edward Cortina(45th) was a sure bet to lose the final rubber to Mooljee. Winner of this match would take it. Ended up being fairly anticlimactic, with Dudwakar wrapping up a perfect 7-for-7 year against Zarco with his most dominant win of the group, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Points were 93-59 ... this was not even remotely close.

Sri Lanka wins 3-2, and regains the title! World champions for the 9th time -- and Prakash Mooljee clinches it in his final professional match under my direction, a 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 bloodbath against Cortina on Friday. That's a great way to go out -- Mooljee is the only player to be involved in all of our titles. The first three just on the doubles team, but still.

World Team Cup Playoffs

** Finland vs. Bulgaria -- Two low-ranking Level 1 nations trying to hang on to their top-level status. Both have Top 50 singles player and nobody else in the Top 200. Finland took the doubles, and then got the headline with Aikio over Trashilov in straight sets. Bulgaria goes down, 4-1.

** Peru vs. Croatia -- The once-proud Peru team is back after a thrashing in the promotion playoffs last year. They got another one here, with Croatia skunking them 5-0. The combination of the aging Cojanovic(43rd) and the young Svajnovic(49th) makes them more than good enough to hang at the top level.

** Russia vs. Hungary -- Sucks that this was the draw. Russia is ranked 6th in the world and it's merely a lousy group that even has them participating; meanwhile the Hungarians are a solid 14th and the Level 2 champs this year. I'd like to them both up, but that's not going to happen. Bottom line is nobody for Hungary can match up with #18 Alexey Alenichev, who was the difference in powering the Russians to a 3-2 victory. Hungary was in the demotion playoffs a year ago so this was much better, but with Jeno Maitra(47th) 31 and not getting any younger, it would seem they've done what they are going to do for the time being.

** Slovak Republic vs. Australia -- Somebody was going up here in a matchup of the last two nations Hungary beat in the Level-2 playoffs. This was another whitewash, with the Australians dropping just a single set. Just a few years ago, the land down under was all the way down at Level 4. That seems ancient history with the talents of Jeffrey Lusher(28, 45th) and Liam Curran(27, 62nd) giving them two capable players and a claim at being a legit Level-1 country. And now, it's official for the Aussies.

01-10-2018, 06:57 PM	#753
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	December World Team Cup Finals Sri Lanka vs. Spain #1 vs. #2. Last two world champions. Couldn't have a better setup here. Everything pretty much went as expected, leading up to the critical clash on Thursday between Ritwik Dudwadkar and Martin Zarco. We faced elimination with Spain up 2-1, but in reality they were in just as much jeopardy as Edward Cortina(45th) was a sure bet to lose the final rubber to Mooljee. Winner of this match would take it. Ended up being fairly anticlimactic, with Dudwakar wrapping up a perfect 7-for-7 year against Zarco with his most dominant win of the group, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Points were 93-59 ... this was not even remotely close. Sri Lanka wins 3-2, and regains the title! World champions for the 9th time -- and Prakash Mooljee clinches it in his final professional match under my direction, a 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 bloodbath against Cortina on Friday. That's a great way to go out -- Mooljee is the only player to be involved in all of our titles. The first three just on the doubles team, but still. World Team Cup Playoffs Finland vs. Bulgaria -- Two low-ranking Level 1 nations trying to hang on to their top-level status. Both have Top 50 singles player and nobody else in the Top 200. Finland took the doubles, and then got the headline with Aikio over Trashilov in straight sets. Bulgaria goes down, 4-1. Peru vs. Croatia -- The once-proud Peru team is back after a thrashing in the promotion playoffs last year. They got another one here, with Croatia skunking them 5-0. The combination of the aging Cojanovic(43rd) and the young Svajnovic(49th) makes them more than good enough to hang at the top level. Russia vs. Hungary -- Sucks that this was the draw. Russia is ranked 6th in the world and it's merely a lousy group that even has them participating; meanwhile the Hungarians are a solid 14th and the Level 2 champs this year. I'd like to them both up, but that's not going to happen. Bottom line is nobody for Hungary can match up with #18 Alexey Alenichev, who was the difference in powering the Russians to a 3-2 victory. Hungary was in the demotion playoffs a year ago so this was much better, but with Jeno Maitra(47th) 31 and not getting any younger, it would seem they've done what they are going to do for the time being. Slovak Republic vs. Australia -- Somebody was going up here in a matchup of the last two nations Hungary beat in the Level-2 playoffs. This was another whitewash, with the Australians dropping just a single set. Just a few years ago, the land down under was all the way down at Level 4. That seems ancient history with the talents of Jeffrey Lusher(28, 45th) and Liam Curran(27, 62nd) giving them two capable players and a claim at being a legit Level-1 country. And now, it's official for the Aussies.