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WTT New York Empire

New York Empire Drop Hard-Fought Match to the Visiting Orange County Breakers, 22-15

July 18, 2019 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
New York Empire News Release


NEW YORK - The New York Empire presented by Citi fell to 1-3 on the season, dropping a hard-fought match to the visiting Orange County Breakers on Thursday night at Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in The Bronx. The Breakers picked up their first win of the season, 22-15.

The Empire got off to a sluggish start, dropping the first set of mixed doubles by a score of 5-1 . 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens and a combination of Neal Skupski and 21-year-old Ulises Blanch were outplayed by Orange County's Andreja Klepac, the 2017 WTT Female MVP, and WTT rookie Luke Bambridge.

Despite not having her "A-game", Stephens, who first appeared in WTT in 2009, dropped the set but fought hard to pick up three games on Nicole Gibbs in women's singles. With the 5-3 win, Orange County extended their lead to 10-4 after two sets.

The Empire's Ulises Blanch then took to the court in an exciting set with the Breakers' James Ward in men's singles. The back-and-forth action got the fans off their seats often and Blanch, a former No. 2 ranked Junior player, showed off his immense potential, firing four aces past Ward on the way to a 5-2 victory.

With the Empire fighting their way back into the match and closing the gap to just a 12-9 deficit, the women's doubles team of Stephens and Kirsten Flipkens took to the court in a crucial set. The Empire duo fought hard, but Orange County's Gibbs and Klepac did just enough to take the set, 5-3, extending their lead to 17-12.

With the Empire needing a near-perfect final set of men's doubles, the Breakers' Bambridge and Ward did enough to secure the victory with a 5-3 win over the Empire's Skupski and Blanch. The match ended 22-15.

Orange County Breakers at New York Empire - Box Score

MXD WS MS WD MD Total

Orange County Breakers 5 5 2 5 5 22

New York Empire 1 3 5 3 3 15

Mixed Doubles: Andreja Klepac/Luke Bambridge (OCB) def. Neal Skupski/Ulises Blanch/Sloane Stephens (NYE), 5-1

Women's Singles: Nicole Gibbs (OCB) def. Stephens (NYE), 5-3

Men's Singles: Ulises Blanch (NYE) def. James Ward (OCB), 5-2

Women's Doubles: Gibbs/Klepac (OCB) def. Kirsten Flipkens/Stephens (NYE), 5-3

Men's Doubles: Bambridge/Ward (OCB) def. Blanch/Skupski (NYE), 5-3

The Empire return home to Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning tomorrow night, July 19, as seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams will compete for the visiting Washington Kastles.

For more information on the New York Empire, visit www.NYEmpireTennis.com or call the team office at (844) 5-EMPIRE (844-536-7473). For more information on World TeamTennis, visit www.WTT.com.

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