Newport Beach Breakers Fall For First Time

Written by: Staff on 11th July 2010

Newport Beach Breakers Fall For First Time |

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 9, 2010 – The visiting Kansas City Explorers led by Team Groth handed the Newport Beach Breakers their first defeat of the season, 25-15, in a World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League match presented by GEICO on Friday night at The Tennis Club Newport Beach.

The married couple of Samuel and Jarmila Groth had a hand in all four wins for the Explorers, who played their fourth match in four nights and evened their record to 2-2. Newport Beach’s Lester Cook was the only Breaker who could break through for a win as he won the night’s final match, 5-4, against Ricardo Mello.

“My goal was to win 11 straight games,” said Cook of the 20-10 deficit his team held heading into the final match. “We came out flat that was all. We played them tough at the end with those three 5-4 matches. We’ll see them tomorrow and we’ll play better. We just came out of the gates a little slow tonight.”

Marina del Rey’s Cook was the hero in Tuesday’s 20-18 come-from-behind win over Sacramento that gave the Breakers an early 2-0 start to the season.

“We came out flat and they just got all the breaks,” said Trevor Kronemann, the Breakers fourth-year coach. “Sam Groth just played incredible for them tonight. He had all the energy and all the emotion. Hats off to them. They were too good. The good news is we get them three more times starting tomorrow night.”

The Explorers opened the match with a 5-2 victory in mixed doubles thanks to the huge serving of Samuel Groth, who didn’t lose a point on his rocket 135 mph serve taking eight straight during his two service games as he and his wife Jarmila beat David Martin and Marie-Eve Pelletier.

Shortly before celebrating their one-year anniversary in February, the Groths played the Australian Open together where they won a round in the mixed doubles competition. In fact, Groth, from Melbourne, was cited at the Aussie Open for his serve recording the fastest one of the tournament at 143 mph.

Jarmila, who has been to the third round in singles at both the French and U.S. Opens, was born in Slovakia and played under her maiden name of Gajdosova until she got married. She beat Julie Ditty 5-4 on Friday night in singles and also teamed with Kveta Peschke to down Ditty and Pelletier, 5-0, to give the Explorers an early 10-2 lead.

The highlight of the night for Breakers fans who came out on Junior Night was definitely the Cook match. Cook, who lost to Michael Chang 5-4 in the team’s opener, played with high-energy and intensity in opening up a 4-1 lead before the lefty Mello charged back into the set. Mello is a former Top 50 player who has won 14 Challenger-level tournaments in singles (11) and doubles (three).

“Lester’s playing great,” Kronemann said. “We have four nights in a row coming up and eight matches over nine days. It’s a big trip for us. We have to come out of it 2-2 or 3-1 just to stay in the hunt.”

Results:

Mixed Doubles – Jarmila Groth/Samuel Groth (KC), def. David Martin/Marie-Eve Pelletier (NB), 5-2

Women’s Doubles – Jarmila Groth/Kveta Peschke (KC) def. Marie-Eve Pelletier/Julie Ditty (NB), 5-0

Men’s Doubles – Samuel Groth/Ricardo Mello (KC) def. David Martin/Lester Cook (NB), 5-4 (5-4 tiebreaker)

Women’s Singles – Jarmila Groth (KC) def. Julie Ditty (NB), 5-4 (5-2 tiebreaker)
Men’s Singles – Lester Cook (NB) def. Ricardo Mello (KC), 5-4 (5-1 tiebreaker)

Overtime: Ricardo Mello (KC) def. Lester Cook (NB), 1-0

Final: Kansas City Explorers 25, Newport Beach Breakers 15

The Breakers return to action on Saturday as they travel to face Kansas City and then it’s on to Springfield, Mo., for a match Sunday against the Lasers. The team returns home to face Sacramento on Monday at The Tennis Club Newport Beach. General admission tickets are $10, or a special Family 4-Pack (four general admission tickets) is available for $25.

Tickets and team information can be found at http://www.newportbeachbreakers.com/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 the “Maria Sharapova” two-match package (good for the July 12 match vs. the Sacramento Capitals and the July 20 match vs. Kansas City, featuring Sharapova) are $45.

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.

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?ref=ts http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Newport-Beach-CA/Newport-Beach-Breakers/73887254402?ref=ts) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nbbreakers 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.

About Newport Beach Breakers

The Newport Beach Breakers are one of 10 nationwide teams that make up the World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League presented by GEICO and are co-owned by WTT founder Billie Jean King. In July 2010, the Breakers will play seven home matches and will be managed by Newport Beach-based Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. Profits from the team’s operations for the season will go towards Hoag Hospital Foundation, the Breakers’ primary beneficiary. Hoag Hospital’s expert involvement with professional sports also extends to its organization of the PGA Champions Tour’s Toshiba Classic held annually in March. For tickets, sponsorship and more information, visit http://www.newportbeachbreakers.com/www.NewportBeachBreakers.com or call 714/352-6301.

About World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League

The World Team Tennis (WTT) Pro League presented by GEICO showcases the best in professional team tennis with the innovative coed team format co-founded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s. The WTT Pro League, which celebrates its 35^th season in July 2010, is a showcase for three generations of tennis standouts, including legends, current tour players and future champions. Since the League’s debut, virtually every major champion of the Open era has played World TeamTennis. WTT is well known for showcasing and introducing innovative elements to tennis including multi-colored courts and player names on the back of shirts.

Official WTT Pro League sponsors for the 2010 season include Acura, DecoTurf, GEICO, Novo Nordisk, Solfire and Wilson Racquet Sports. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis. WTT and the USTA are teaming up on number of initiatives, including development of the youth market through junior team tennis programs.

For more information on the WTT Pro League, visit www.WTT.com.

Topics: Australian Open, Beach Breakers, Coach Sam, Final Match, Four Wins, Fourth Year, Geico, Groth, Kansas City Explorers, Lester Cook, Marie Eve Pelletier, Marina Del Rey, Married Couple, Mixed Doubles, Newport Beach, Ricardo Mello, Service Games, Straight Games, Tennis Club, World Teamtennis