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Brian Swartz · 06-13-2017, 03:44 PM

December

We were done except for a couple of small events. Sushant Chiba played one final tier-4 to max himself out on points for those, heading to Malta and taking home the singles title with a narrow loss in the doubles final. Anil Mehul needed a few more matches, so he headed to Brazil and won a tier-2 futures, continuing the process of boosting his singles ranking back up whenever he has a chance.

WTC Finals

Germany put up a respectable fight, but they couldn't compete with the fact that the United States has two of the Top 8 singles players. USA wins 3-2, with a four-set win by Ariel Borja over Stefano Espinoza on the final day deciding it. Borja also beat Kronecker earlier in the week; he's definitely the MVP for the new world champions.

WTC Playoffs

** Mexico vs. Uzbekistan -- A matchup of two teams trying to stay up, and Mexico narrowly wins it 3-2. Uzbekistan falls despite having a top player in Khasan Zakirov(9th), but the rest of their team is a joke. He didn't lose a set, but nobody else won one. You need more than one player.

** Peru vs. Slovak Republic -- Another showing between two nations who are at the top, but basically never win up here. The Slovak Republic takes this one, also 3-2. They don't have a single Top 100 singles player, which shows you how weak these two are. The Herreras aren't what they used to be on the other side: Peru's 11-year stretch in Level 1 has ended, a pretty impressive streak.

** Russia vs. Norway -- These two faced off in the Level 2 semis this season, with the Norwegians getting a 3-2 win. In the rematch though, Russia prevailed by that same score, and they get the last laugh. After struggling in the second tier for the last four years, they are back to the promised land with two quality players in Ruslan Strelkov(26th) and Alexey Alenichev(36th). Neither looks to have elite potential, but both are still fairly young and they should be good enough to make this a respectable Level 1 nation for several years.

** Sweden vs. Finland -- Another repeat matchup: Sweden beat Finland in the Level 2 semis this year before losing to Norway in the final. This time the playoff result was the same; another 3-2 victory for the Swedes, who bounce back up after getting relegated last year. Both have one quality singles player: young Valentin Rosenberg(30th) for Sweden, declining Kire Zopp(17th) for Finland. The Swedes have a top doubles performer in Elias Trulsen though, and that's the difference between them.

Sweden and Russia up, Uzbekistan and Peru down. Overall a good trade although Zakirov will be missed.

2052 Final WTC Rankings

1. Sri Lanka -- 2661
2. United States -- 2572
3. Germany -- 2173
4. Spain -- 2171
5. France -- 2127
6. Argentina -- 2103
7. Croatia -- 2046
8. Sweden -- 1972
9. Italy -- 1954
10. Czech Republic -- 1889

Honorable mention to Great Britain, who promoted from Level 3 to Level 2, cutting their ranking in half from 26th to 13th. As for Sri Lanka, we're right back where we were the last time we didn't win the world championship three years ago. Still #1 overall as we have been for nearly a decade, but the USA is right on our heels and if this year repeats itself, they'll take the top spot away from us. A number of European nations fighting for third with Argentina, but none of them have been consistent. They'll have one good year, then lose in the quarterfinals the next couple. It's us and the Americans, and then everyone else.

2063 WTC Preview

The key is Dudwadkar. Mooljee is still good enough to beat anyone they can throw at us, and Mehul will ensure we're at least competitive against most doubles opposition. We need a good #2 singles and Ujjaval isn't that anymore. By the end of next year, it's probably not his job -- and Ritwik's tendency to go hiding against quality foes is not encouraging. I don't think our supremacy has ever been more at risk since it was first achieved.

We've been drawn in a fairly easy group this time, Group 3. #6 Argentina, #7 Croatia, #31 Mexico. Despite their rankings, none are pushovers, but none have any elite players either. All have somebody in the 15-30 range; they're pretty good, but not good enough to beat us.

06-13-2017, 03:44 PM	#628
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	December We were done except for a couple of small events. Sushant Chiba played one final tier-4 to max himself out on points for those, heading to Malta and taking home the singles title with a narrow loss in the doubles final. Anil Mehul needed a few more matches, so he headed to Brazil and won a tier-2 futures, continuing the process of boosting his singles ranking back up whenever he has a chance. WTC Finals Germany put up a respectable fight, but they couldn't compete with the fact that the United States has two of the Top 8 singles players. USA wins 3-2, with a four-set win by Ariel Borja over Stefano Espinoza on the final day deciding it. Borja also beat Kronecker earlier in the week; he's definitely the MVP for the new world champions. WTC Playoffs Mexico vs. Uzbekistan -- A matchup of two teams trying to stay up, and Mexico narrowly wins it 3-2. Uzbekistan falls despite having a top player in Khasan Zakirov(9th), but the rest of their team is a joke. He didn't lose a set, but nobody else won one. You need more than one player. Peru vs. Slovak Republic -- Another showing between two nations who are at the top, but basically never win up here. The Slovak Republic takes this one, also 3-2. They don't have a single Top 100 singles player, which shows you how weak these two are. The Herreras aren't what they used to be on the other side: Peru's 11-year stretch in Level 1 has ended, a pretty impressive streak. Russia vs. Norway -- These two faced off in the Level 2 semis this season, with the Norwegians getting a 3-2 win. In the rematch though, Russia prevailed by that same score, and they get the last laugh. After struggling in the second tier for the last four years, they are back to the promised land with two quality players in Ruslan Strelkov(26th) and Alexey Alenichev(36th). Neither looks to have elite potential, but both are still fairly young and they should be good enough to make this a respectable Level 1 nation for several years. Sweden vs. Finland -- Another repeat matchup: Sweden beat Finland in the Level 2 semis this year before losing to Norway in the final. This time the playoff result was the same; another 3-2 victory for the Swedes, who bounce back up after getting relegated last year. Both have one quality singles player: young Valentin Rosenberg(30th) for Sweden, declining Kire Zopp(17th) for Finland. The Swedes have a top doubles performer in Elias Trulsen though, and that's the difference between them. Sweden and Russia up, Uzbekistan and Peru down. Overall a good trade although Zakirov will be missed. 2052 Final WTC Rankings 1. Sri Lanka -- 2661 2. United States -- 2572 3. Germany -- 2173 4. Spain -- 2171 5. France -- 2127 6. Argentina -- 2103 7. Croatia -- 2046 8. Sweden -- 1972 9. Italy -- 1954 10. Czech Republic -- 1889 Honorable mention to Great Britain, who promoted from Level 3 to Level 2, cutting their ranking in half from 26th to 13th. As for Sri Lanka, we're right back where we were the last time we didn't win the world championship three years ago. Still #1 overall as we have been for nearly a decade, but the USA is right on our heels and if this year repeats itself, they'll take the top spot away from us. A number of European nations fighting for third with Argentina, but none of them have been consistent. They'll have one good year, then lose in the quarterfinals the next couple. It's us and the Americans, and then everyone else. 2063 WTC Preview The key is Dudwadkar. Mooljee is still good enough to beat anyone they can throw at us, and Mehul will ensure we're at least competitive against most doubles opposition. We need a good #2 singles and Ujjaval isn't that anymore. By the end of next year, it's probably not his job -- and Ritwik's tendency to go hiding against quality foes is not encouraging. I don't think our supremacy has ever been more at risk since it was first achieved. We've been drawn in a fairly easy group this time, Group 3. #6 Argentina, #7 Croatia, #31 Mexico. Despite their rankings, none are pushovers, but none have any elite players either. All have somebody in the 15-30 range; they're pretty good, but not good enough to beat us.