The San Diego Aviators, the region’s World TeamTennis team, salvaged a weekend win Sunday, bringing their record on the season to 4-3.
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They next play the 6-1 Philadelphia Freedoms at 7 p.m. Monday at Carlsbad’s Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
They defeated the Springfield Lasers Sunday, bouncing back after losses Friday and Saturday. They also handed the Lasers their first defeat of the season.
On Saturday, they won a tight first set versus the Orange County Breakers, but gave up the final four to lose 24-17.
Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Jonny O’Mara earned the lone win that night for the Aviators, edging Victoria Azarenka and Luke Bambridge 5-4 in the tiebreaker.
O’Mara and Bambridge, doubles partners on tour, won two ATP titles as well as two challenger titles together in 2018. The two Brits had not been on opposite sides of the net since 2016.
“It’s so much fun though out here. You’re playing in such a good environment every evening and obviously it was great here today,” O’Mara said.
In an upset, Breaker James Ward took out Aviator Taylor Fritz 5-1 in a tiebreaker, as the Brit won 14 of his 15 first-serve points to beat the 30th ranked player in the world.
The teams played before a sold-out crowd in Newport Beach.
The day before, the Vegas Rollers spoiled the Aviators’ Friday home opener in Carlsbad. The Rollers battled to a 23-15 victory before a capacity crowd of 1,400.
The Rollers built a commanding 10-3 lead by winning mixed doubles and women’s doubles to open the match. The Aviators closed the gap to 13-8 when Taylor Fritz and Jonny O’Mara teamed for a 5-3 win in men’s doubles over Sam Querrey and Matt Reid.
The last set of the night featured a highly-anticipated rematch in men’s singles between Fritz and Querrey. The last time they met, Fritz won his first career ATP Tour singles title with a 6-3, 6-4 decision in Eastbourne, Great Britain.
This time, though Querrey clinched the Vegas victory as he dispatched Fritz in 20 minutes.
– Staff reports
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