YESTERDAY (July 18)
Texas Wild d. Austin Aces, 23-12
The Texas Wild scored a victory in the second chapter of this Texas-based rivalry, and it unfolded in far less dramatic fashion than the first. With the match finely poised at 8-8 following men's singles and men's doubles, Anabel Medina Garrigues and Aisam Qureshi put the Wild firmly in front with a 5-1 win over Marion Bartoli and Treat Huey in mixed doubles. The visiting team wouldn't look back from there, as they claimed the final two sets to put away the commanding victory. Medina Garrigues continued the strong play that's characterized her first season in the league, having a hand in each of the final three sets for the Wild; following the mixed doubles, she and Darija Jurak beat Vera Zvonareva and Marion Bartoli with the loss of just two games, before she bested Zvonareva 5-1 to close out the night.
Philadelphia Freedoms d. Boston Lobsters, 25-14
The Philadelphia Freedoms rolled to their fourth consecutive win with a 25-14 defeat of the Boston Lobsters on Friday night at The Pavilion at Villanova University. Bookended by tiebreaker wins by Frank Dancevic, the home team dropped just six games in each of the other three sets to see themselves to victory. Following another win by the league's leading mixed doubles team of Marcelo Melo and Liezel Huber, Taylor Townsend continued her rich vein of form and handily dispatched Sharon Fichman, 5-2, in the penultimate event. In the men's doubles, Dancevic closed out the night with his second 5-4 win as he and Marcelo Melo beat Rik de Voest and substitute Scott Lipsky. With the win, the Freedoms pick up another game on the sputtering Washington Kastles in the standings, and now find themselves just one game out of first place.
Springfield Lasers d. Washington Kastles, 24-10
Fresh off of a stunning come-from-behind Supertiebreaker win against the San Diego Aviators, the Springfield Lasers kept the good feelings going with a 24-10 defeat of the league-leading Washington Kastles in a rematch of last year's Mylan WTT finals. The home team was in command from the start, as they rolled through the first three sets to take a 15-4 lead at halftime. To highlight opening half action, the Lasers claimed both women's and mixed doubles, events in which both teams ranked in the top three in the league, by 5-1 scores. After finding themselves in unfamiliar positions more than once this season, the Kastles found themselves in another; they had never trailed by a wider margin at halftime in team history. While Anastasia Rodionova defeated Olga Govortsova in a tiebreaker to keep the visitors in the match following the break, Lasers closer Michael Russell defeated Bobby Reynolds 5-1 to seal the deal. Russell continues to make his case for Mylan WTT Male MVP, as he leads the league in men's singles, boasting a .618 winning percentage.
TODAY (July 19)
Live Stream of the Day - Springfield Lasers @ Texas Wild – 8:30 PM EDT
The season series between the Springfield Lasers and Texas Wild will be decided on Saturday in Irving. After the Lasers saved five match points to defeat the Wild in Springfield on July 12, the Wild handily defeated them on their home court on July 15 to add to their July 7 win over the Lasers. Both teams are coming off victories on Friday and are looking to continue their late-season charge up the Western Conference standings. Both teams also boast league leaders, with Russell in form for Springfield and the No. 1 men's doubles team of Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Aisam Qureshi suiting up for Texas.
San Diego Aviators @ Austin Aces – 2:00 PM EDT
With both the Wild and Lasers within one game of first place, the San Diego Aviators travel to Austin in need of a win to hold on to the top spot. The two teams have split the season series, as the Aviators defeated the Aces at home on July 7, but return to the Cedar Park Center looking to wash out the memories of a 20-18 loss in Austin from July 9. The set at women's doubles could be key in this rubber match; a win in women's doubles helped spark an Aces rally in the last match between the two teams, but Daniela Hantuchova and Kveta Peschke have won their last four sets for the Aviators.
Washington Kastles @ Boston Lobsters – 6:00 PM EDT
The Eastern Conference leaders, who've clinched a playoff spot irrespective of their future results, travel to Manchester for the second time this season looking to break their two-game skid. The teams face off for the third time overall; the two previous meetings went in favor of the Kastles in contrasting fashion, as they picked up a 24-16 Overtime win on July 7 before recording an overwhelming 25-8 win on July 9. Sharon Fichman will feature in the Lobsters lineup for the first time against Washington this season, as she was forced to miss the first two matches between the teams with an injury.
TOMORROW (June 20)
Live Stream of the Day – Philadelphia Freedoms @ Boston Lobsters – 6:00 PM EDT
The Freedoms hit the road for the final time this season, and the first time since July 13, when they face off against the Boston Lobsters for the second time in three days. Philadelphia looks to extend its season-high winning streak to five matches, while John Isner suits up for the Lobsters for the first time.
Springfield Lasers @ San Diego Aviators – 8:00 PM EDT
Bob and Mike Bryan make their 2014 Mylan WTT debut as the San Diego Aviators host the Springfield Lasers at the Valley View Casino Center. The Aviators currently rank third in the league in men's doubles behind Raven Klaasen and Somdev Devvarman, but the 15-time major champions could provide the difference for San Diego in the discipline in a crucial conference matchup.
Austin Aces @ Texas Wild – 8:30 PM EDT
The final chapter of this in-state rivalry will be written in Irving on Sunday. The road squad triumphed in each of the previous two matches, as the Aces claimed victory at the Four Seasons Resort and Club on Thursday and the Wild hit back with a win in Austin on Friday.