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WTT Orange County Breakers

Breakers Fall in Season Finale

July 23, 2010 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Orange County Breakers News Release


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 22, 2010 - At age 51, American tennis icon John McEnroe can still hold a crowd. At age 51, he can also still hold his own on the tennis court.

McEnroe's presence on behalf of the New York Sportimes helped to fill The Tennis Club Newport Beach with its largest crowd of the 2010 World TeamTennis Pro League presented by GEICO season. The 17-time Grand Slam champion, former World No. 1 and 1999 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee also won both of his sets - in men's doubles and mixed doubles - in tiebreakers over foes at least 20 years his junior to help send the Newport Beach Breakers to a 23-22 defeat in the teams' regular season finale.

The Breakers displayed plenty of energy, fight and spirit in their most riveting, excruciatingly close match of the season. All five sets went to a tiebreaker. Breakers men's singles player Lester Cook, the team's standout player, waved his arms and encouraged the entire crowd to stand for the final tiebreaker, which Robert Kendrick won on the last possible point of the match, 5-4, after Cook lost three match points.

"That was one of the funnest matches all year. Wish it could have turned out a little different," Cook said. "Nothing I'll regret tomorrow. At 4-2 (in the tiebreak), I went for it and it just missed the line. The last point, it was just a big serve by him. I had a blast this year."

Other Breakers highlights in their season finale, before a near 1,800-capacity crowd, included Marie-Eve Pelletier's first set victory in women's singles in five tries this season, defeating San Diego resident Abigail Spears 5-4 (5-3 in a tiebreaker), and Pelletier and Julie Ditty rallying from 4-1 down in women's doubles to win a 5-4 set (5-3 tiebreak) over Spears and Ashley Harkleroad to even the match at 18-18 heading into the match's final set, men's singles.

"This is what TeamTennis is all about," Breakers fourth-year coach Trevor Kronemann said. "It's exciting for the fans. This is the first time in my 21 years of World TeamTennis that I've ever seen that (all five sets going to tiebreakers). It was definitely the best Marie-Eve played this year. The team chemistry was great. That was the No. 1 thing (this year). We just didn't have the time off to rebound. We didn't have a chance to work on our games."

The Breakers finished (5-9) in WTT's Western Conference after playing their sixth match in seven nights and 12th match in 14 nights. New York (9-5), a WTT finalist last year, won WTT's Eastern Conference title outright with Thursday's win and will host the Boston Lobsters in WTT's Eastern Conference final Friday.

As is typically the case during McEnroe's visits to Newport Beach the past few years, he entertained the Breakers crowd with his play and his playful banter. It only took four games into the match for him to unleash his first verbal blast, in jest, when he finally felt the umpire was on his side on a close call on the baseline - "It's the first (call) I got in 30 years," McEnroe quipped.

A few points later, before McEnroe let a serve fly, he retorted to a member of the crowd, "We got a genius over in Row C." As it turned out, McEnroe rallied the Sportimes to a first-set victory in a tiebreaker on his racket. He erased two Breakers set points on his server and gave New York the edge in the tiebreaker, 5-4.

McEnroe also took the court with Harkleroad in mixed doubles, the match's third set. When McEnroe wasn't hitting his racket on the ground and muttering not so nice things under his breath, he unintentionally hit David Martin with a volley at the net in the fourth game. Martin's partner, Julie Ditty, returned the favor and picked McEnroe off with her own volley, to the delight of Ditty and the crowd, in the next game. McEnroe and Harkleroad had the last laugh, though, winning another 5-4 set (5-2 in the tiebreak) before McEnroe bid adieu to the court.

"You play in a one-set format and he's still one of the best in the world," Kronemann said of McEnroe. "A living legend. Last year, I really became a McEnroe fan. I was always more of a (Bjorn) Borg fan. He's unbelievable. He's one of the best ever."

Though McEnroe is World TeamTennis' oldest active player, he has not lost his touch at the net, his knack for showmanship, a flame of his competitive fire or an ounce of pride in his game.

"This is why I like to play, because you get to be part of a team," McEnroe said. "I got a great group of guys that I play with, and girls. But I'm excited about hopefully making a run, being part of a team that wins (the WTT title) finally. We usually end up getting in the playoffs and not winning the whole thing. But I think we're the best team.

"When (WTT co-founder and Breakers co-owner Billie Jean King) is nice enough to say they still want me to do it, it's a no‑brainer for me to try to play a few. This is my fifth (match) out of 14. That's going to be pushing the limit for me. I don't want to be a drag, certainly. I do believe the (WTT) concept should be a part of the sport in some way, shape or form. It would be great if it ever had, sort of, its own time. There would be a lot more of the top players. I think it would be something people would gravitate towards."

Results:

Men's Doubles - John McEnroe/Robert Kendrick (NY) def. David Martin/Lester Cook (NB), 5-4 (5-4 tiebreak)

Women's Singles - Marie-Eve Pelletier (NB) def. Abigail Spears (NY), 5-4 (5-3 tiebreak) Mixed Doubles - John McEnroe/Ashley Harkleroad (NY) def. David Martin/Julie Ditty (NB), 5-4 (5-2 tiebreak)

Women's Doubles - Julie Ditty/Marie-Eve Pelletier (NB) def. Abigail Spears/Ashley Harkleroad (NY), 5-4 (5-3 tiebreak)

Men's Singles - Robert Kendrick (NY) def. Lester Cook (NB), 5-4 (5-4 tiebreak)

Final: New York Sportimes 23, Newport Beach Breakers 22

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