WTT Orange County Breakers

Newport Beach native to make World TeamTennis debut

June 12, 2008 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Orange County Breakers News Release


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 12, 2008 - Barely more than a month removed from winning the NCAA Division I National Championship in men's doubles, 21-year-old Newport Beach native Kaes Van't Hof will be set to begin his World TeamTennis career with the Newport Beach Breakers. Van't Hof joins the Breakers 2008 roster, replacing Bruno Echagaray, who is recovering from a back injury.

A senior at the University of Southern California in the past year, Van't Hof will feature in the Breakers' 2008 season opener at the Sacramento Capitals on July 3. He will play in World TeamTennis for the first time before his home crowd on July 5 against the Kansas City Explorers - the first of seven home matches in July at Breakers Stadium at Newport Beach Country Club.

Van't Hof completed his collegiate tennis career at USC in May by winning the NCAA Men's Division I national championship in doubles and advancing to the second round in the 64-player NCAA Division I singles bracket. Further, with respect to doubles, he won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) West Regional championship and reached the final of the ITA National Indoors this year.

A highly-accomplished player in his youth, Van't Hof graduated from Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana) in 2004. He completed his high school career by compiling a 43-1 record his senior season, capped by his winning the 2004 CIF-Southern Section Individual Singles Championship, and earning Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register Player of the Year honors. While playing USTA junior tennis (Boys 18 division), he was ranked No. 1 in Southern California and as high as No. 4 nationally.

Van't Hof followed in his family's footsteps in attending USC, where he is a business and accounting major. Both of Van't Hof's parents graduated from USC. His father, Robert, was the 1980 NCAA singles champion, a three-time singles All-American and two-time doubles All-American, and an inductee into the ITA Hall of Fame in 2003.

Van't Hof will share the WTT spotlight in Newport Beach this season with teammates Lindsay Davenport, Ramon Delgado, Michaela Pastikova and Angelika Bachmann, and opposing marquee players John McEnroe (New York Sportimes), Serena Williams (Washington Kastles) and Martina Navratilova (Boston Lobsters).

This week, Van't Hof has advanced to play in a doubles quarterfinal match at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures event in Loomis, Calif. He also reached the tournament's main draw in singles.

Tickets, sponsorship and more information on the Newport Beach Breakers are readily available by visiting www.NewportBeachBreakers.com or calling 714-352-6301.

Individual general admission match tickets range from $15-$45. For the Breakers' home opener on July 5 - Junior Tennis Night - tickets are $10 for those 16 and under. Also available are General Admission season tickets at $210; a Lefty Legends Package, for matches July 21 vs. Boston and July 22 vs. New York, for $70; and a Singles Night Package for the July 13 match vs. Washington for $45 (includes one free drink coupon, pre-match singles mingling and a special singles seating area).

The most enjoyable and relaxing way to view Breakers' action is through one of the team's three season Club Seat packages. Each package includes box seats for four (padded chairs with cocktail tables), a VIP parking pass per match, in-seat food & waiter service and Ocean Deck access (for two matches), where fans capture the tennis and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

The Ocean Deck is used for hospitality receptions and player Q & A sessions among other purposes. Club Seat Packages are available in premium seating areas for $2,750, between the baselines for $2,500 and below the baselines for $2,200.

The Breakers sold out five of their seven home matches in 2007 and enjoyed their largest crowd - 2,358 - during their season finale, which featured McEnroe and Maria Sharapova. Nearly 15,000 fans visited Breakers Stadium in 2007.

Breakers Stadium (seating capacity 2,200) is located at The Newport Beach Country Club along Pacific Coast Highway, with views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Hoag Hospital Foundation has been granted the rights to manage the Breakers through 2009 by the WTT with profits from the team's operations for the season benefiting Hoag Hospital.

Each World TeamTennis team is comprised of two men, two women and a coach. Team matches consist of five events - one set each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. The first team to reach five games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four-all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, overtime and a supertiebreaker are played to determine the outright winner of the match.



World TeamTennis Stories from June 12, 2008


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