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WTT Orange County Breakers

Newport Beach Breakers Host Rival Sacramento in Their 2010 World Teamtennis Home Opener on Tuesday

July 5, 2010 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Orange County Breakers News Release


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 5, 2010 - A mere four points short of reaching the World TeamTennis Pro League presented by GEICO finals in 2009, the Newport Beach Breakers believe they are prepared to take the next step as the 2010 WTT season commences this week. The Breakers will open their 2010 home campaign against their fierce rival, the Sacramento Capitals, on Tuesday, July 6 and the Kansas City Explorers on Friday, July 9 - Junior Night - at their new home, The Tennis Club Newport Beach.

The Breakers, which are seeking their first King Trophy (WTT championship) since 2004, return the female components of their 2009 team in former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova, Julie Ditty, the USTA Pro Circuit's winningest player of all time, and Marie-Eve Pelletier, ranked No. 62 on the WTA Tour in doubles - the highest world doubles ranking of any Breakers player.

Sharapova will play with the Breakers on July 20 when they host Kansas City. The Breakers also revamped their roster to feature two new men's players in Marina del Rey resident Lester Cook and doubles specialist David Martin.

"I'm really excited to be playing for Newport (Beach)," said Martin, the 2006 WTT Male Rookie of the Year. "I know Lester pretty well since we've played doubles together. We actually like each other and I think that helps. I think we're going to do very well as a team this summer."

Added Ditty: "I know David (Martin) and Lester (Cook) pretty well. They're great doubles players and also awesome guys. They have great personalities, so that will add to the team. Marie-Eve is in the top 60 in doubles so we're going to have a good team."

Last year, the Breakers finished second in the Western Conference with a 9-5 record before losing to the Springfield Lasers, 20-19 (7-3 in the supertiebreaker after the match was tied 19-19 though regulation). In 2009, the Breakers swept all four matches against Sacramento - where they open the 2010 WTT season today - and won both of their meetings with Kansas City.

General admission tickets for Friday's Junior Night vs. Kansas City are $10, or a special Family 4-Pack (four general admission tickets) is available for $25.

Tickets and team information can be found at www.NewportBeachBreakers.com or through the ticket sales office at 714-352-6301. General admission season tickets ($115) and season club seat packages ($1,800; includes six padded seats per match and private hospitality) must be obtained by calling 714-352-6301.

General admission tickets for four of the Breakers' seven home matches come in two-match packages. The "Maria Sharapova" package (good for the July 12 match vs. the Sacramento Capitals and the July 20 match vs. Kansas City, featuring Sharapova) and the "John McEnroe" package (good for the July 6 home opener vs. Sacramento and the July 22 season finale against McEnroe's New York Sportimes) are $45 each.

Tickets for the team's July 15 "Ladies Night" match against Laguna Beach resident Lindsay Davenport and the St. Louis Aces are $17.50. The Breakers are partnering with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Orange County Affiliate to host Ladies Night. Fans at the match are encouraged to "Pink Out" The Tennis Club Newport Beach by wearing pink clothes in support of breast cancer research and awareness. A portion of the proceeds from Ladies Night will benefit the Komen Orange County Affiliate.

The Breakers will play 14 matches in the 35th WTT Pro League regular season in July under the guidance of coach Trevor Kronemann for the fourth consecutive season. The Breakers will play their seven home matches at The Tennis Club Newport Beach (1602 E. Pacific Coast, Highway, Newport Beach, CA 92660).

The building of the Breakers' roster through this year's WTT Draft demonstrated a concerted effort to strengthen their quality in doubles. In WTT matches, doubles takes on greater importance in that it comprises three of the match's five sets.

Ditty and Pelletier won seven of their 13 women's doubles sets last year. Martin holds an ATP Tour title victory, in 2008, over the world's No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. Martin and Cook started to form a partnership earlier this year on the ATP Challenger circuit.

"David and I started playing together last year. We won a tournament and did well in others," Cook said. "I think just the fact that David and I have played together really helps our team at Newport Beach. It should be fun."

Breakers fans can also congregate online and expand the team's fan base through the team's official fan pages on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Newport-Beach-CA/Newport-Beach- Breakers/73887254402?refts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nbbreakers). Register to become a fan or follower of the Breakers at each fan page and stay up to date on all team and player information.



World TeamTennis Stories from July 5, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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