It caught the country by storm. People were talking about it. There were some that did not know that it was physically possible for omega males to be so fit. Normally the hormones hit them and added some fat and softness to their frames. It was a way to feminize them and prepare their bodies for the rigors of pregnancy and child birth. It caused them to be internet sensations overnight. It was right around the time they were to play against their first opponents in the Burke Cup. It was going to be played on a hard court. Anna hated having to fly over there. Molly, Simon, Owen and Mitchel were there too. Ronan was the first one to play. Everything was going to be broadcast for the world to see. He dominated the alpha across the court from him. The retired player played next. It was a close match, but he pulled through. The other singles competitors for Breaca dropped the ball. Reilly and Evan won their doubles match. So did Reid and Rhys. They had won as a team. The World Group is the top group and includes the world's best 18 national teams. Breaca was not in it.
Having them compete in the world group like that was a clear case of progressive activism in the case of the IPTB. Teams in the World Group play a four-round elimination event. Teams are seeded based on a ranking system released by the IPTB, taking into account previous years' results. The defending champion and runner-up are always the top two seeds in the event. The losers of the first-round matches are sent to the World Group playoffs, where they play along with winners from Group I of the regional zones. The playoff round winners play in the World Group for the next year's competition, while the losers play in Group I of their respective regional zone the next year. As a new comer they should not be here either. Each of the three regional zones is divided into four groups. Groups I and II play elimination rounds, with the losing teams facing relegation to the next-lower group. The teams in Groups III and those in Group IV play a round-robin event with promotion and relegation. Breaca, by all rights, should have been starting all the way down in Group III or IV.
Controversial or not, Breaca had won their first round of the World Group fair and square. They were there to stay. They would be able to play the next round in a couple weeks. After the opponents had been determined, lots were drawn for who would host the round. Breaca won. Because of the fact most of the team was from Aflen, a stadium would be converted to a hard court for the match. It could be done with the help of the local stadium. The rise of national pride could be linked to the victory on the world stage. The matches in the Burke Cup were called ties. The individual events were called rubbers. People who cared about sports argued about it. Now people all over the country knew the names of Evan and the 4 Idut brothers. You did not need to be a sports fan to hear it being broadcast live with commentary on every news channel in the country. It was that important. Even people who hated tennis were now invested. Bruce's endorsement paid off those uniforms were perfect advertising for the company. Cash flowed in. They just had to keep on winning all the ties.
