Socializing with the omegas was cool. They were given the VIP treatment by the stadium staff. That rubbed off onto their spouses. Ronan was the first one to play. This was important. Everything was going to be broadcast for the world to see this match. He dominated the alpha across the court from him. The retired player played next. It was a really close match, but he pulled through in the end. The other singles competitors for Breaca dropped the ball. Reilly and Evan won their doubles match. So did a very exuberant. 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. There was a set procedure. 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. It gave a leg up.
The losers of the first-round matches are sent to the World Group playoffs, where they play along with the 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 most of the team was from Aflen, a stadium would be converted 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 the ties. This was not just a personal win for the boys. In 2 weeks, the country of Breaca would host an international event. Reid, Reilly, Ronan, Rhys and Evan all had a part in bringing honor and glory on the world stage. That was something that could not be ignored. Once they had returned to the country, they were swarmed by the Breacan press. People wanted to know how they had done it there.
Everyone in the country knew their names now. So much so that the government had to take notice. They were invited to the capitol to address parliament and meet with the members. It was an honor. 3 days later, they were on a train. Because they all could take a plus one, Zoe, Molly, Kevin and Mitchel went with them. They were all married. Kevin was their father and was leading the group. He was taking Reilly's slot. Anna was rich enough to buy her own ticket. He was not going to lose the chance to go to the capital. Kevin was over his allotted days of from work, but he did not care. Bruce would never let him fall. Evan was coming with his father. Evan's father was not as connected though. He could only spare time for the first day. Working was important if you were not rich. It was a planned 3 day trip filled with fun things. Day 1 involved getting to the capitol. The members of the national team would be received by the delegation of the region they were from. They would be the ones responsible for tours. It would then be on them to talk to other members if they wanted.
