Season ends for Orange County Breakers

The Orange County Breakers came into Wednesday’s final day of the World Team Tennis season with a chance at making the four-team playoffs.

That chance vanished early in the evening, and not because of the team’s play on the court. As the Breakers faced the Washington Kastles on center court at Palisades Tennis Club, general manager Allen Hardison and a handful of Breakers employees gathered around to watch another relevant match on television in the clubhouse.

Nicole Gibbs of the Orange County Breakers runs down a volley at the net during a women’s doubles match against the Washington Kastles at the World Team Tennis at Palisades Tennis Club on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Kirsten Flipkens of the New York Empire rallied to beat Taylor Townsend of the Philadelphia Freedoms in women’s singles, giving the Empire a 21-16 win that secured their spot in the playoffs this weekend in Las Vegas and eliminated the Breakers.

No. 2-seeded Springfield (9-5) plays No. 3 San Diego (9-5) in the first World Team Tennis semifinal Friday at 4 p.m. at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Top-seeded Philadelphia (11-3) plays No. 4 New York (8-6) in the second semifinal at 7 p.m.

As for the Breakers, they finished the season 6-8 after losing every set to the last-place Kastles in a 25-15 defeat to close the season.

A 22-16 loss at Springfield on Tuesday also hurt the Breakers, who won the league title in 2017 but missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

Marcus Daniell of the Washington Kastles, left, battles Orange County Breakers’ Luke Bambridge at the net during a mixed doubles match at the World Team Tennis at Palisades Tennis Club on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Washington (3-11) had suffered blowout losses in each of its last three matches, but gained a boost Wednesday from Newport Beach resident Ashley Kratzer. Making her World Team Tennis debut at Palisades, where she said she used to train for years, Kratzer, 20, won sets in women’s doubles and singles.

In doubles, Kratzer and former Orange Lutheran High and USC star Kaitlyn Christian defeated the Breakers’ Nicole Gibbs and Andreja Klepac 5-4. In women’s singles, Kratzer beat Gibbs by the same score.

“It’s always fun to be able to stay in Newport,” said Kratzer, a left-hander who won the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship two years ago to receive a wild-card entry into the U.S. Open. “It was great. It was a lot of fun. It was my first World Team Tennis match, so I had a lot of fun with it. The scoring is tough. I was not used to the scoring or the let calls or all of that, but it’s fun. It’s different.”

Noah Rubin of the Orange County Breakers hits a serve during men’s singles match against the Washington Kastles during World Team Tennis at Palisades Tennis Club on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The Kastles’ Christian and Marcus Daniell rallied for a 5-4 mixed doubles victory over Orange County’s Luke Bambridge and Klepac to start the match. Washington’s Jared Hiltzik beat Noah Rubin 5-1 in men’s singles, while Hiltzik and Daniell beat Bambridge and Rubin 5-2 in men’s doubles.

Washington played more clutch than Orange County, winning seven of the nine three-all game points in the match.

“We were a little tired from coming from Missouri today, but that’s no excuse,” Breakers coach Rick Leach said. “They played really well. They were just laughing. They were going for their shots, and they were all going in.

“I used to coach [Kratzer] when she was 14 or 15. I always thought she’d be in the top 100 [in the world]. The way she played tonight, it looks like she will be.”

Despite a disappointing end to the season for the Breakers, Leach said he has high hopes for next year.

“We have such a great owner in Eric Davidson, and such a good GM in Allen Hardison,” Leach said. “They support the team so well. We have that backing. Next year we have two first-round picks [in the World Team Tennis draft]. We’re going to have a great team next year, for sure.”

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