By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday July 29, 2020
Taylor Fritz took out Brandon Nakashimi in a super tiebreaker to lead the Freedoms to victory again.
Photo Source: WTT
The York Empire picked up the final World TeamTennis playoff berth on Sunday on the strength of a tense victory over the Orange County Breakers and a loss by the Washington Kastles.
The Empire will join the first place Philadelphia Freedoms, along with the Chicago Smash and Orlando Storm, in Saturday’s semi-finals.
In a possible final-round preview the Freedoms took out the Smash in a super tiebreaker, thanks to more fantastic singles play from Sofia Kenin and Taylor Fritz. It was Fritz who beat Brandon Nakashimi to force the breaker and the World No.24 got it done in a super tiebreaker to send the Freedoms to victory.
Fritz has been the dominant men’s singles players at World TeamTennis. He has won over 57 percent of his games and today he won the final three points to topple 18-year-old Brandon Nakashima.
Fritz battled from 4-6 down in the breaker, saving two match points to get the victory.
The Freedoms will enter the playoffs as the top seed for the third consecutive year.
The Empire will Smash will battle for second place tomorrow.
The Empire can only finish fourth, but are happy to do so after edging Orange County on Wednesday and getting a gift from the Vegas Rollers, who eliminated the Washington Kastles 19-16.
Philadelphia Freedoms 22, Chicago Smash 21 (Super Tiebreak)
Men's Doubles - Taylor Fritz\Fabrice Martin (Freedoms) def. Rajeev Ram\Brandon Nakashima (Smash), 5-4
Women's Singles - Sofia Kenin (Freedoms) def. Sloane Stephens (Smash), 5-3
Mixed Doubles - Ram\Bethanie Mattek-Sands (Smash) def. Martin\Taylor Townsend (Freedoms), 5-3
Women's Doubles - Mattek-Sands\Eugenie Bouchard (Smash) def. Townsend\Kenin (Freedoms), 5-3
Men's Singles - Fritz (Freedoms) def. Nakashima (Smash), 5-4
Supertiebreaker - Men's Singles - Fritz (Freedoms) def. Nakashima (Smash), 1-0 (7-6 tiebreaker)
New York Empire 21, Orange County Breakers 19
Mixed Doubles - Jack Sock\Coco Vandeweghe (Empire) def. Steve Johnson\Jennifer Brady (Breakers), 5-3
Women's Singles - Brady (Breakers) def. Nicole Melichar (Empire), 5-3
Men's Singles - Johnson (Breakers) def. Sock (Empire), 5-3
Women's Doubles - Vandeweghe\Melichar (Empire) def. Gabriela Dabrowski\Brady (Breakers), 5-2
Men's Doubles - Sock\Neal Skupski (Empire) def. Johnson\Austin Krajicek (Breakers), 5-4
Vegas Rollers 19, Washington Kastles 16
Women's Singles - Bernarda Pera (Kastles) def. Monica Puig (Rollers), 5-2
Men's Singles - Sam Querrey (Rollers) def. Tommy Paul (Kastles), 5-3
Men's Doubles - Querrey\Mike Bryan (Rollers) def. Nick Monroe\Marcelo Arevalo (Kastles), 5-2
Women's Doubles - Pera\Venus Williams (Kastles) def. Puig\Asia Muhammad (Rollers), 5-2
Mixed Doubles - M. Bryan\Muhammad (Rollers) def. Arevalo\Williams (Kastles), 5-1
Thursday's Schedule:
San Diego Aviators vs. Chicago Smash, 9 a.m. ET, Tennis Channel
Springfield Lasers vs. Orange County Breakers, 12 p.m. ET, Tennis Channel
Washington Kastles vs. Orlando Storm, 4 p.m. ET, Tennis Channel
Philadelphia Freedoms vs. New York Empire, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network