New York Empire player Ulises Blanch wasn’t supposed to play in Friday night’s semifinal against the top-seeded Philadelphia Freedoms.
But when veteran Mardy Fish went down with a hamstring injury just two games into his Men’s Singles set, Blanch was ready to go.
Call it an Empire state of mind.
Blanch closed out the Men’s Singles set with a 5-4 win, then teamed with Neal Skupski to take Men’s Doubles, 5-4, to help fourth-seeded New York defeat the top-seeded Freedoms, 24-18, and move into Saturday’s championship match against the defending champion Springfield Lasers. Complete Match Coverage
Photos by Ryan Loco
