The Lasers, looking for their first win of the season, got off to a quick start thanks to Benjamin Becker. The German, who edged Lukas Lacko in a tiebreak on Opening Night, got the better of his Slovak opponent by a break of serve this time around, winning 5-3 to put the Lasers ahead and remain perfect in singles action on the season. The women’s doubles team of Pauline Parmentier and Michaella Krajicek, already feeling good about themselves after having scored a win over Martina Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova last night, then followed suit with a clinical display of all-court tennis to defeat Wozniacki and Naomi Broady, 5-2.
From there, the tide started to turn in favor of the home team—as it all began with serving dominance from Lacko and Fabrice Martin in men’s doubles. The Freedoms’ pairing didn’t face a break point in the set, with Martin in particular serving well and hitting his spots, to take a 5-2 set and steady the Philadelphia lineup at the halftime break.
Out of halftime, Wozniacki suited up against Parmentier, against whom she is 2-0 in WTA Tour play, although the two haven’t played on tour in four years. Nonetheless, Wozniacki knew her strategy -- and picked on both Parmentier’s biggest weapon, and her most inconsistent shot, in the forehand to draw herself both errors and short balls to attack. Surviving a couple of close calls in the next game, Wozniacki held serve after facing a pair of break points to lead 3-1, to the delight of the home crowd and the Freedoms’ bench. She rolled from there, using her own forehand to great effect to take the set 5-1 and make it a four-game swing for the Freedoms.
Now leading 15-13, the Freedoms’ chance to close it out rested on Broady and Martin, who duly got the first break with a hot shot off the Brit’s forehand to lead early in the match. Although they were pegged back by the team of Krajicek and Jean Andersen, the big-hitting from the Freedoms pair was well-suited to the quick conditions inside the Pavilion; they regained control of the set late to close out the victory with a 5-3 win, and help Billie Jean King’s signature squad move to 3-0 on the young season.
Washington Kastles def. New York Empire, 23-14
An unfortunate injury to Mardy Fish didn’t stop the Washington Kastles at the Smith Center on Tuesday night, as the home team fought through both that and the loss of two tiebreak sets to defeat the New York Empire on home court.
After Fish called the trainer in the opening stages of the men’s singles set first up, Kastles captain Leander Paes was called into duty against Guido Pella. The 43-year-old doubles specialist fought valiantly, pushing the ATP World No. 49 to a tiebreak, and even leading 2-0 in the tiebreak at one stage.