Leander Paes
The 2014 Mylan World TeamTennis season begins this July the way the 2013 season ended, with the Washington Kastles once again chasing history.
After winning their third consecutive King Trophy last year with a victory over the Springfield Lasers and setting a new mark for most consecutive wins by a major U.S. pro sports team, the Kastles will try to tie the league record of four consecutive championships set in 2000. The 2013 title was the overall fourth championship over the past five seasons for the veteran squad.
League officials today released the 52-match schedule for the three-week season of Mylan World TeamTennis. The regular season runs July 6-23, with conference championships scheduled for Thursday, July 24, and concludes with the Mylan WTT Finals, on Sunday, July 27 on the home court of the Western Conference Champion.
The season begins on Sunday, July 6 with Boston hosting Texas, and Philadelphia traveling to Springfield. Opening week action also includes the launch of two new teams in San Diego and Austin, Texas. The San Diego Aviators, featuring former world No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova, host the Andy Roddick-led Austin Aces on Monday, July 7 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
The Aces make their inaugural season home debut one day later at the Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Hantuchova is playing every match for San Diego this summer and will be joined during the final week by the world’s top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. Roddick and 2013 Wimbledon Champion Marion Bartoli are scheduled to play all home matches for Austin.
The Kastles start their 2014 campaign with road matches in Boston and Texas before heading back to the nation’s capital for their home opener on Wednesday, July 9. Reigning Mylan WTT Female MVP Martina Hingis is back to lead the way for the Kastles. One of the schedule’s most intriguing matches is Wednesday, July 16, when longtime Kastles star Venus Williams joins Hingis on the Kastles roster in Washington, D.C. Although it’s a coach’s game day decision, it could be the first time the duo has paired up as a doubles team. They will face a tough opponent in the Texas Wild, the team that stopped Washington’s consecutive win streak last summer at 34.
Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka joins her Philadelphia Freedoms teammates on Tuesday, July 15, at Villanova University. She is expected to face off against Hantuchova in the women’s singles set.
Other top names set for Mylan WTT action this summer include top-ranked American John Isner who returns to the Boston Lobsters lineup on Sunday, July 20. James Blake, acquired in an off-season trade by the Springfield Lasers, headlines a showdown with former Laser Roddick on July 13 in Springfield, Mo. Blake joins a Lasers’ roster that includes 2013 Mylan WTT Male MVP Jean-Julien Rojer and 2013 Mylan WTT Female Rookie of the Year Alisa Kleybanova.
Each team will play 14 matches – seven home, seven away. Eastern Conference teams are the Boston Lobsters, Philadelphia Freedoms and Washington Kastles. Western Conference teams are Austin Aces, San Diego Aviators, Springfield Lasers and Texas Wild.
The top two teams from both the Western and Eastern Conference advance to their respective Conference Championships on July 24. The Mylan WTT Finals will be contested on July 27 on the home court of the Western Conference Champion.
For more information about the 2014 schedule and team rosters, visit www.WTT.com.
2014 SCHEDULE – Mylan World TeamTennis
including Marquee matches in parentheses – subject to change (as of March 20, 2014)
Schedule online at http://www.wtt.com/schedule.aspx
DATE MATCH MARQUEES
Sunday, July 6 Texas @ Boston
Philadelphia @ Springfield
Monday, July 7 Washington @ Boston
Texas @ Springfield
Austin @ San Diego (Andy Roddick-AUS) / (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Tuesday, July 8 Springfield @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS)
Washington @ Texas
Philadelphia @ San Diego (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Wednesday, July 9 Boston @ Washington (Martina Hingis-WAS)
San Diego @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS) / (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Thursday, July 10 Springfield @ Boston
Philadelphia @ Washington (Martina Hingis-WAS)
Texas @ San Diego (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Friday, July 11 Washington @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS) / (Martina Hingis-WAS)
Philadelphia @ Texas
Saturday, July 12 Texas @ Springfield (James Blake-SPR)
Philadelphia @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS)
Boston @ San Diego (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Sunday, July 13 Philadelphia @ Washington (Martina Hingis-WAS)
Austin @ Springfield (James Blake – SPR / Andy Roddick-AUS)
San Diego @ Texas (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Monday, July 14 San Diego @ Washington (Daniela Hantuchova-SD) / (Martina Hingis-WAS)
Boston @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS)
Tuesday, July 15 Austin @ Boston
San Diego @ Philadelphia (Daniela Hantuchova-SD) / (Victoria Azarenka-PHL)
Springfield @ Texas
Wednesday, July 16 San Diego @ Boston (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Springfield @ Philadelphia
Texas @ Washington (Martina Hingis / Venus Williams-WAS)
Thursday, July 17 Washington @ Philadelphia
San Diego @ Springfield (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Austin @ Texas
Friday, July 18 Boston @ Philadelphia
Washington @ Springfield
Texas @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS)
Saturday, July 19 Washington @ Boston
San Diego @ Austin (Andy Roddick / Marion Bartoli – AUS) / (Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Springfield @ Texas
Sunday, July 20 Philadelphia @ Boston (John Isner-BOS)
Austin @ Texas
Springfield @ San Diego (Bob & Mike Bryan-SD / Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Monday, July 21 Austin @ Philadelphia (Andy Roddick-AUS)
Boston @ Washington (Martina Hingis-WAS)
Tuesday, July 22 Boston @ Philadelphia
Springfield @ Washington (Martina Hingis-WAS)
Texas @ San Diego (Bob & Mike Bryan-SD / Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
Wednesday, July 23 Washington @ Philadelphia
Boston @ Springfield
Austin @ San Diego (Bob & Mike Bryan-SD / Daniela Hantuchova-SD)
POST-SEASON
Thursday, July 24 Mylan WTT Western Conference Championship – #2 @ #1 Western Conference teams, location TBD
Mylan WTT Eastern Conference Championship- #2 @ #1 Eastern Conference teams, location TBD
Sunday, July 27 Mylan WTT Finals (at home court of Western Conference Champion) 5pm ET/4pm CT/2pm PT
2014 Mylan World TeamTennis – Team Venues & Start Times
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Austin Aces Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park, Texas / 7:30pm CT
San Diego Aviators Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, Calif./ 7:00pm PT
Texas Wild Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas / 7:30pm CT
Springfield Lasers Mediacom Stadium at Cooper Tennis Complex, Springfield, Mo. / 7:05pm CT
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Boston Lobsters Boston Lobsters Stadium at Manchester Athletic Club, Manchester, Mass. // 7:00pm ET (except 7/6, 7/19 and 7/20 @ 6:00pm ET)
Philadelphia Freedoms The Pavilion at Villanova University, Villanova, Pa. / 7:00pm ET
Washington Kastles location TBD, Washington, D.C. / 7:00pm ET
MYLAN WTT – 2014 FULL TEAM ROSTERS:
AUSTIN ACES: Andy Roddick, Marion Bartoli, Vera Zvonareva, Eva Hrdinova, Treat Huey. Coach: John Lloyd.
BOSTON LOBSTERS: John Isner, Sharon Fichman, Eric Butorac, Megan Moulton-Levy, Rik de Voest. Coach: Bob Greene.
PHILADELPHIA FREEDOMS: Victoria Azarenka, Vicky Duval, Liezel Huber, Marcelo Melo, Frank Dancevic. Coach: Josh Cohen.
SAN DIEGO AVIATORS: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Daniela Hantuchova, Somdev Devvarman, Raven Klaasen, Kveta Peschke. Coach: David Macpherson.
SPRINGFIELD LASERS: James Blake, Alisa Kleybanova, Jean-Julien Rojer, Mike Russell, Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Coach: John-Laffnie “JL” de Jager.
TEXAS WILD: Anabel Medina Garrigues, Aisam Qureshi, Alex Bogomolov Jr., Darija Jurak. Coach: Brent Haygarth.
WASHINGTON KASTLES: Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds, Anastasia Rodionova. Coach: Murphy Jensen.
Topics: 10sballs, Andy Roddick, Bob Bryan, Daniela Hantuchova, Leander Paes, Mike Bryan, MWTT, Mylan World TeamTennis, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, Washington Kastles
MYLAN WORLD TEAMTENNIS RELEASES 2014 SCHEDULE – http://t.co/ZmiQXQQLZ4 @WorldTeamTennis #Schedule #Tennis