2017 New York Empire season

Last updated
2017 New York Empire season
World TeamTennis3rd place
Record
2017 record7 wins, 7 losses
Home record4 wins, 3 losses
Road record3 wins, 4 losses
Games won–lost279–290
Team info
Owner(s)NY TeamTennis LLC
represented by Michael Coakley
General managerMichele Cope
Coach Gigi Fernández
Stadium USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
(capacity: 2,800)
2018 →

The 2017 New York Empire season was the second season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT). The Empire finished third in WTT with a record of 7 wins and 7 losses.

Contents

Season recap

Marquee Draft, a new home court and a new general manager

The Empire had the first selection in each round of WTT's 2017 drafts due to finishing the 2016 season in sixth place. The Empire traded the first overall selection in the Marquee Draft to the Springfield Lasers for the second overall pick and undisclosed consideration. The Lasers used that pick to select Jack Sock. With the second selection in the first round, the Empire chose Eugenie Bouchard and left Andy Roddick unprotected. In the second round, the Empire selected John Isner, who had been left unprotected by the Lasers. The Empire's third round selection was Mardy Fish, who had been left unprotected by the Washington Kastles. [1] [2]

After playing its inaugural season at Forest Hills Stadium, the Empire announced at the draft that its 2017 home matches would be played on Court 17 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, New York City. The stadium has seating for 2,800 fans and is easily accessible by public transportation. Parking is available on premises. The Empire also introduced its new general manager, Michele Cope, who said "Court 17 is a great showcase court for New York Empire matches. Fans will be close to great professional team competition, and also enjoy a fan-friendly and entertaining atmosphere." [2] [3]

Gigi Fernández named new head coach

On March 1, the Empire named International Tennis Hall of Famer Gigi Fernández as the team's new head coach, replacing Patrick McEnroe. Fernández said, "This is going to be a fantastic summer for the New York Empire with a really strong team that already includes John [Isner], Genie [Bouchard] and Mardy [Fish]. We'll finalize the remainder of the roster very soon, and then it's time to start thinking about match strategy. I really can't wait to work with these amazing athletes." [4] [5] McEnroe had recently taken a position with Sportime NY as co-director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. [6]

A third-place finish

The Empire finished its second season in the league with a 7–7 record, more than tripling its win total from 2016. The team started off the season on July 16 with a thrilling home win over the Philadelphia Freedoms, which marquee player John Isner clinched with a 5–2 final set win in men's singles over Donald Young. The next night, the Empire traveled to Philadelphia and beat the Freedoms once again, with Mardy Fish taking down Young in a winner-take-all tiebreak in the final set.

Having already achieved last season's win total after two matches, the Empire looked to keep the momentum going in Washington. Fish overcame a two-game deficit to push the match into a deciding supertiebreak, but came up short against Frances Tiafoe to hand the Empire its first loss of the season. After a 25–13 loss at home to Philadelphia, the Empire were able to get back above .500 by winning at home against the Orange County Breakers in a match that was moved indoors due to rain.

The team then went on the road for a week, losing two matches in California before beating both Philadelphia and Washington. It returned home on July 27 with a 5–4 record, but despite the presence of Eugenie Bouchard, it was again swept by the Breakers and San Diego Aviators. Knowing that it would need to win the rest of its matches to have a chance at qualifying for the WTT Finals, the Empire had a convincing 25–18 win over Washington before closing out its home schedule with a memorable win over the Springfield Lasers, in which Marcus Willis saved a match point and defeated Benjamin Becker in a final-set tiebreak.

At 7–6, the Empire's playoff hopes were slim, but still alive, as the team traveled to Springfield to play its final match of the season. Needing a win and losses from both the Aviators and Breakers, the Empire won two of the first three sets. The match was eventually decided in a Supertiebreak, where New York's Kirsten Flipkens lost to Sorana Cîrstea, ending the Empire's playoff hopes but at the same time clinching the franchise's first-ever Top 3 finish. Orange County and San Diego’ s subsequent wins meant that the Empire finished the season 2 matches out of first place.

Event chronology

Draft picks

Since the Empire had the worst record in WTT in 2016, it had the first selection in each round of the league's drafts.

Marquee Player Draft

The Empire traded the first overall selection in the Marquee Player Draft to the Springfield Lasers in exchange for the second overall pick and undisclosed consideration. The selections made [1] by the Empire are shown in the table below.

RoundNo.OverallPlayer chosenProt?
122 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Eugenie Bouchard N
217 Flag of the United States.svg John Isner N
3113 Flag of the United States.svg Mardy Fish N

Statistics

Players are listed in order of their game-winning percentage provided they played in at least 40% of the Empire's games in that event, which is the WTT minimum for qualification for league leaders in individual statistical categories.

Men's singles
PlayerGPGWGLPCT
Mardy Fish 713140.437
John Isner 752.714
Marcus Willis 442519.568
Total1226161.500
Women's singles
PlayerGPGWGLPCT
Kirsten Flipkens 844341.512
Eugenie Bouchard 1697.563
Maria Sanchez 312.333
Total1035350.515
Men's doubles
PlayerGPGWGLPCT
Neal Skupski 1226161.500
Mardy Fish 713536.493
Marcus Willis 422220.524
John Isner 945.444
Total1226161.500
Women's doubles
PlayerGPGWGLPCT
Maria Sanchez 1005254.491
Kirsten Flipkens 1105258.473
Eugenie Bouchard 404.000
Total1105258.473
Mixed doubles
PlayerGPGWGLPCT
Neal Skupski 974750.485
Kirsten Flipkens 1085157.472
John Isner 835.375
Marcus Willis 725.286
Eugenie Bouchard 413.250
Total1125260.464
Team totals
EventGPGWGLPCT
Men's singles1226161.500
Women's singles1035350.515
Men's doubles1226161.500
Women's doubles1105258.473
Mixed doubles1125260.464
Total569279290.490

Transactions

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Freedoms</span> World TeamTennis franchise

The Philadelphia Freedoms is a tennis team currently competing in World TeamTennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Wranglers</span>

The Houston Wranglers was a professional tennis team based in Houston, Texas, United States competing in World TeamTennis (WTT). The team made its debut in the 2005 season, and folded after the 2007 season, citing a lack of fan interest. The Wranglers never had a winning season and never qualified for the WTT playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Kastles</span> American tennis team

The Washington Kastles is one of eight franchises that compete in World TeamTennis. Founded in 2008 and based in Washington, D.C., the Kastles won the WTT championship six times. The team is named for Kastle Systems, a security company founded by team owner Mark Ein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Aviators</span>

The San Diego Aviators are a World TeamTennis (WTT) team that plays at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California in the United States. The team is the successor to two WTT franchises. The first was created in 1995, as the New York OTBzz, later renamed the Schenectady County Electrics and then the New York Buzz. The second was created in 2000, as the New York Hamptons, later renamed the New York Sportimes. The Aviators, founded in 1995, are the oldest continuously operating franchise in WTT. The team has won the King Trophy as WTT champions three times: once playing as the New York Sportimes in 2005, once as the New York Buzz in 2008, and once as the San Diego Aviators in 2016. As of 2016, the three championships is the second most of any active WTT franchise behind the Washington Kastles, who have won six.

The 2014 San Diego Aviators season was the 20th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its first playing in San Diego, California.

The 2014 Springfield Lasers season was the 19th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

The 2014 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the 14th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

The 2014 Austin Aces season was the 12th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its first in Greater Austin, Texas after relocating from Orange County, California.

The 2014 Texas Wild season was the 22nd season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its second and final season in Texas.

The 2014 Boston Lobsters season was the tenth season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

The 2015 Springfield Lasers season was the 20th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

The 2015 Boston Lobsters season was the 11th and final season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Empire (tennis)</span>

The New York Empire is a World TeamTennis (WTT) team that plays its home matches at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the Bronx, New York City.

The 2016 New York Empire season was the inaugural season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT). The Empire finished last in WTT with 2 wins and 10 losses.

The 2016 Washington Kastles season was the ninth season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT). The Kastles finished third in WTT with seven wins and five losses and missed the postseason for the first time since 2010, ending their run of five consecutive WTT championships.

The 2016 Springfield Lasers season was the 21st season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT). The Lasers finished with 4 wins and 8 losses, fifth in the WTT standings, and missed the postseason for the second consecutive year. The team featured Michaëlla Krajicek, who won the 2016 WTT Female Rookie of the Year Award.

The 2017 San Diego Aviators season is the 23rd season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its fourth playing in San Diego County, California.

The 2017 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the 17th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

The 2017 Springfield Lasers season will be the 22nd season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

The 2017 Washington Kastles season will be the tenth season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jack Sock is Top Pick in 2017 Mylan WTT Marquee Draft". World TeamTennis . February 16, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Milani, Jerry (February 16, 2017). "Bouchard, Isner, Fish Claimed by NY Empire in Mylan WTT Marquee Player Draft". NY Sports Day. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "New York Empire Selects John Isner, Eugenie Bouchard and Mardy Fish in Marquee Draft". World TeamTennis . February 16, 2017. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Fernandez Named New York Empire Coach". World TeamTennis . Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Milani, Jerry (March 1, 2017). "New York Empire Names International Tennis Hall of Famer Gigi Fernandez As Coach". NY Sports Day. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Milani, Jerry (December 21, 2016). "Patrick McEnroe to Join SPORTIME, John McEnroe Tennis Academy, As Co-Director". NY Sports Day. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.