Orange County Breakers can’t close out match against New York Empire
The tennis ball sat on top of the net cord, and for a split second it appeared it might go over for a winning shot.
Instead, the half-volley by Luke Bambridge of the Orange County Breakers dropped back on the Breakers’ side.
Bambridge’s serve had just been broken by the New York Empire, giving the visitors a 4-3 lead in the final set of men’s doubles Wednesday night at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.
Neal Skupski — the brother of former Breakers player Ken Skupski — then served out the match for the Empire in a deuce game. New York earned a 20-19 World Team Tennis victory.
The Breakers were playing their third home match in three days, and all were decided by a single game. Two ended up as losses.
Wednesday’s close defeat dropped Orange County to 3-4 halfway through its regular season, which is good for fifth place in the eight-team league. The top four teams make the playoffs.
“It usually does come down to the last set,” Breakers coach Rick Leach said. “With the no-ad scoring and the scoring system, it’s anybody’s match. Tennis is a game of inches, and it’s a cruel game. [Tuesday] night we won on match point at 6-all in the [tiebreaker], and today we lose. We’re going to have to win on the road now, I think, [to make the playoffs]. We’re still in it, but it’s going to be tough.”
Orange County had rallied from an 8-3 deficit against New York (5-4). The Empires won the opening set of mixed doubles, as Skupski and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez defeated Bambridge and Andreja Klepac 5-3.
In women’s doubles, Martinez Sanchez and Kirsten Flipkens beat Klepac and Gibbs 5-4 (5-1 in the tiebreaker). But Orange County franchise player Steve Johnson, playing his third and final match for the Breakers this season, helped turn the tide in men’s singles.
Johnson blanked the Empire’s Ulises Blanch 5-0 in just 10 minutes, helping Orange County take a 12-10 halftime lead.
The Breakers still had the lead headed into the final set, even after Gibbs lost to Flipkins 5-4 (5-4 in the tiebreaker) in women’s singles. But the Empires’ Skupski and Blanch came through for the victory over Johnson and Bambridge in men’s doubles.
Blanch, a World Team Tennis rookie, got a bit of revenge after his men’s singles loss. He said he has struggled to come into form after a lengthy bout with pneumonia following the clay court season.
“It’s great,” Blanch said. “We’ve been struggling on the road a little bit, especially me with my health. Going on planes and playing the same day has been really tough. I’m just happy I was able to give the team a little bit at the end and bring out the energy. Fortunately, we won ... At the end of the day, it’s a team effort.”
Orange County plays at Las Vegas on Thursday and at rival San Diego on Friday, before returning to Palisades to host Las Vegas on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“This team has a lot of fight, and that’s all as a coach that you want,” Leach said. “They have good chemistry and a lot of fight. You’re going to get beat in tennis, you just want your players to do their best and compete well and be part of the team. That’s what we’ve got, so I can’t be too upset.”
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