Advanta WTT Finals headed to Washington D.C.
Published on May 7, 2009 under World TeamTennis (WTT) News Release
NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 7, 2009) - The 2009 Advanta World TeamTennis Finals are coming to the nation's capital for the first time in the League's 34-year history.
League officials announced today that the Washington Kastles will host the Advanta WTT Finals on Sunday, July 26, at Kastles Stadium in downtown Washington, D.C. The last time the Advanta WTT Finals was played on the East Coast was in 2004 on the grounds of the US Open in New York.
The Kastles will be one of 10 co-ed professional tennis teams battling for a spot in the Finals during the 2009 regular season which runs July 2-22. The top two teams from the regular season in both the Western and Eastern Conference will advance to the Advanta WTT Conference Championships on Friday, July 24, on the home court of the top-seeded team from each Conference. The Conference Champions face off for the King Trophy, named after League co-founder Billie Jean King, in the Advanta WTT Finals on Sunday, July 26. The New York Buzz are the defending WTT Champions, defeating the Kansas City Explorers in the 2008 Finals.
The Kastles drew near-capacity crowds during their inaugural season in 2008 and had D.C. area sports fans and media talking World TeamTennis last summer. "Based on the Kastles' first year presentation and the excitement the local ownership group lead by Mark Ein has generated, the League is thrilled to bring the Advanta WTT Finals to Washington, D.C.," said WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss. "It will be great for our many East Coast fans to have the opportunity to experience the Finals in person for the first time in several years. This will be a terrific environment to showcase our premier event."
"We are thrilled that the League asked us to host the 2009 Advanta WTT Finals," said Ein. "This is a testament to our community's tremendous support for the team and to the world-class fan experience at Kastles Stadium."
Tickets for the Advanta WTT Finals and the Kastles regular season go on sale on May 11 through the Kastles office at 202-4-TENNIS or visit www.washingtonkastles.com.
The 2009 season includes one of the most intriguing lineups in the League's 34-year history. In addition to a marquee lineup of some of the sports' biggest names including Andre Agassi, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, WTT will also make history this summer with four top young Americans forming the first all-junior team in League history, playing for the New York Buzz. Other top names scheduled to play in the Advanta WTT Pro League this summer include Kim Clijsters, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova, Martina Navratilova, Michael Chang, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.
Each WTT team is comprised of a coach, two male and two female players who play five total sets of singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Eastern Conference teams are the Boston Lobsters, New York Buzz, New York Sportimes, Philadelphia Freedoms and the Washington Kastles. Western Conference teams are the Kansas City Explorers, Newport Beach Breakers, Sacramento Capitals, St. Louis Aces and the Springfield Lasers.
World TeamTennis Stories from May 7, 2009
- Advanta WTT Finals headed to Washington D.C. - WTT
- Kastles Return to CityCenterDC and Will Host WTT League Championship - Washington Kastles
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