{"id":9065,"date":"2018-07-31T20:09:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T00:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=9065"},"modified":"2018-07-31T20:09:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-01T00:09:00","slug":"philadelphia-freedoms-clinch-spot-in-finale-of-world-teamtennis-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2018\/07\/31\/philadelphia-freedoms-clinch-spot-in-finale-of-world-teamtennis-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia Freedoms Clinch Spot In Finale Of World TeamTennis 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Philadelphia Freedoms dominated the field in the World TeamTennis&#8217; annual round-robin challenge. The Billie Jean King-owned team is assured a first place finish with 10 wins out of 11 matches. They can now claim $2,500 in prize money for placing atop the regular season standings. That money will be paid out to each of the four mainstay Freedoms players: Raquel Atawo, Taylor Townsend, Kevin King and Fabrice Martin. The King Cup Final will take place in Philadelphia&#8217;s home court on Saint Joseph&#8217;s University campus on August 5 at 2pm. That championship match will be televised on ESPN2 and on WTT&#8217;s official Youtube, Twitter, Facebook pages and specialized livestreaming site wtt.tv<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/905104170\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 71.88552% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/905104170?et=u-XmiQqaR2Bfgat-hpnPrA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=HDeq3Bi2kj9ERwUG2bpektA5mGFMVKSutm_7Qki3KF0=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"427\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Provided they continue to win, Atawo and Townsend stand to earn additional prize money given out by WTT: a split of $9,000 between the duo&#8217;s high winning percentage in women&#8217;s doubles, and in Townsend&#8217;s case, a $7,500 haul for her exceptional performance in singles. WTT will also reward the second and third best mixed doubles team with a $7,000 and $4,000 split bonus, respectively , and the runners up of best eligible singles players of league also receive $6,000 and $4,000. Male and female Rookie of the Year honorees receive a $2,500 prize and the Male and Female MVP (factoring exceptional play in both doubles and singles matches) receive a Forevermark package of diamonds and $7,500. To see the frontrunners for these rewards, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/2018\/07\/26\/outstanding-worldteamtennis-players-round8\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check out the previous WTT article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>First place in WTT may be decided, but there is an intensely stewing battle for the second-place berth between four teams. The Defending Champion Orange County Breakers are 5-6 but the San Diego Aviators, Washington Kastles and Springfield Lasers are all 6-5, and the race for second is surely going to be decided in the remaining matches, all being played within the next 3 days. The 1-11 New York Empire are out of contention for qualifying into the final.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results from July 30th: San Diego Aviators loses to the previously winless New York Empire, 21-17. <\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First-time player\/coach and selfie master <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nealskupski?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@nealskupski<\/a> with his <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nyempiretennis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@nyempiretennis<\/a> teammates <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DennisNovikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DennisNovikov<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tayylorjohhnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@tayylorjohhnson<\/a>  &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mariajo_martine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@mariajo_martine<\/a> after NY gets into the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WTT43?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WTT43<\/a> win column. (\ud83d\udcf7 Skupski) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/wttfamily?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#wttfamily<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3NMsXwxAlc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3NMsXwxAlc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; World TeamTennis (@WorldTeamTennis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorldTeamTennis\/status\/1024152012156559360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 31, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Neal Skupski and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez played in their best form, putting NY up 5-2 in the first set of mixed doubles. They took down the Aviators&#8217; solid pairing of Marcin Matkowski and Anna-Lena Groenefeld. The hilight of the evening was the women&#8217;s singles showdown between both teams&#8217; two ace-dealers: San Diego&#8217;s Naomi Broady and the Empire&#8217;s Taylor Johnson. The 17-year-old prodigy and incoming UCLA freshman didn&#8217;t win either of her sets but she hit 6 aces and added 6 crucial game points to help the Empire put pressure the Aviators&#8217; lead.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson played in place of Tatjana Maria and Coach Gigi Fernandez was taking a day of rest to rest up from a minor illness. Neal Skupski was the acting player-coach on a modified New York side. The game score was tied after four sets, meaning the men&#8217;s singles event would decide the winner of the evening. Marcus Willis of the Aviators, perhaps the best men&#8217;s singles player this season, faded in the final set to a surging Dennis Novikov. Novikov used his strong backhand play to win in 6 games, earning the Empire a quite rare and unlikely win on the road.<\/p>\n<p>Coach John Lloyd and the Aviators&#8217; losing effort may not have helped them, but they did beat Coach Rick Leach&#8217;s Orange County Breakers this past Saturday, giving OC their 6th loss of the year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Springfield Lasers defeat the Washington Kastles 22-21. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every set in the Lasers-Kastles game led up to a set tiebreaker, except for the final set of women&#8217;s doubles. In the second set, Springfield&#8217;s Coach John-Laffnie De Jager made a bold decision to substitute Daniel Nestor out of the Mixed Doubles set to bring in rising talent Miomir Kecmanovic. Kecmanovic had beaten Kastles&#8217; men&#8217;s singles star Tennys Sandgren in the first set, and was brought in with the team down 4-1. The pairing of Kecmanovic and Abigail Spears rallied back to force a tiebreaker that they eventually lost.<\/p>\n<p>In the last set, the Lasers went up one break point, giving their duo of Vania King and Abigail Spears a victory over the Kastles&#8217; Madison Brengle and Nicole Melichar, 5-2. It was all square with regard to break point conversions; Vania King and Madison Brengle converted 3 break points apiece during their women&#8217;s singles showdown.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/991474002\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/991474002?et=nyP93yKfSwRdBVhJ9Wy-5Q&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=s-CrSQLltBaqxW0-cfTgY_D5VzfvtCcitAbIHe-83mM=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Lasers have now won four matches in a row; the Kastles have lost four straight including their match against the Freedoms last Saturday. Both teams travel west to face the two WTT teams from California.<\/p>\n<p>Coach Murphy Jensen and the Washington Kastles are still a team to watch, despite their losing form. The Kastles have a strong mixed doubles unit in Melichar and Robert Lindstedt, and the team&#8217;s mainstay women&#8217;s singles player Madison Brengle has been tough to beat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It didn&#8217;t earn her team the win, but Madison Brengle still pulled off the shot of the night against Vania King.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;That&#39;s the shot of the night right there.&quot; Another day, another hot shot from Madison Brengle. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WashKastles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WashKastles<\/a> star comes from 4-2 down in the women&#39;s singles to win in a tiebreak. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WTTSummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WTTSummer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CVS8WL3Wct\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/CVS8WL3Wct<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; World TeamTennis (@WorldTeamTennis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorldTeamTennis\/status\/1024124964549480448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 31, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/990768372\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/990768372?et=NJCRT0DwQbd2jujv7mUf8g&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=qxMarDws2XGlKbkhmA4zFWt1kBDaABQ8Y3GXmYZfV1o=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Philadelphia Freedoms dominated the field in the World TeamTennis&#8217; annual round-robin challenge. The Billie Jean King-owned team is assured a first place finish with 10 wins out of 11 matches. They can now claim $2,500 in prize money for placing atop the regular season standings. That money will be paid out to each of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2718,"featured_media":9088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,3,2,4],"tags":[3525,3521,3522,488,1227,3513,3523,3524,58,3520,437,3526,3511],"class_list":["post-9065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-atp","category-featured","category-wta","tag-2018-world-team-tennis","tag-daniel-nestor","tag-fabrice-martin","tag-madison-brengle","tag-naomi-broady","tag-neal-skupski","tag-nicole-melichar","tag-philiadelphia-freedoms","tag-taylor-townsend","tag-vania-king","tag-world-team-tennis","tag-world-team-tennis-2018","tag-world-teamtennis"],"modified_by":"Steen Kirby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2718"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}