WTT annouces regular season schedule

2/5/2007

        WTT announces regular season schedule

Venus Williams, Sampras, McEnroe, Kournikova,Vaidisova and Bryan Brothers return for 2007 season

NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 5, 2007) -The regular season schedule for the 2007 World TeamTennis Pro League presented by Advanta was released today and features appearances from some of the top names in tennis, including Venus Williams, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova, Nicole Vaidisova and the Bryan Brothers.  The 2007 WTT schedule includes 77 matches in 11 markets beginning July 5 and running through July 25.

The top two teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences will advance to the season-ending WTT Championship Weekend, set for July 27-29, in Roseville, Calif.

Five teams exercised their option to protect returning marquee players for their 2007 lineups.  Venus Williams returns to the defending WTT Champions, the Philadelphia Freedoms, and the Newport Beach Breakers, who lost to the Freedoms in the 2006 WTT Finals, are bringing back tennis legend Pete Sampras.

John McEnroe returns to the New York Sportimes for his seventh WTT season and the world's top-ranked doubles team and 2007 Australian Open doubles champions, Mike and Bob Bryan, will be back on the multi-colored WTT courts this summer for the Kansas City Explorers.  The Sacramento Capitals protected both of their marquee players, two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Anna Kournikova and world No. 9 Nicole Vaidisova, who recently advanced to the singles semifinals at the Australian Open.

Team lineups will be completed on March 27 when WTT holds their annual player draft in Miami.

About WTT:
Now in its 32nd year of play, World TeamTennis is well known for introducing innovative elements to tennis. Instant replay, which debuted at WTT matches in 2005 as the WTT Coaches Challenge, marked the first time the technology had been used in a professional tennis match, will return to select WTT matches in 2007. Other WTT firsts include co-ed format, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Supertiebreakers, multi-colored courts and player names on back of their shirts.

The unique gender-balanced team concept for WTT was created in the early 70s by League co-founders Billie Jean King and Larry King. The format used for a WTT Pro League match features teams comprised of two men, two women and a coach. Each match consists of five sets, with one set each of men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles.

Advanta is the presenting sponsor of the WTT Pro League and the official business credit card of World TeamTennis. Official WTT Pro League sponsors also include Bälle de Mätch, Gatorade, Geico and Wilson Racquet Sports.  For more information on WTT including team rosters, visit www.WTT.com.

2007 Schedule - World TeamTennis Pro League presented by Advanta

Thursday, July 5
Delaware @ NY Sportimes
New York Buzz @ Philadelphia
St. Louis @ Houston
Springfield @ Sacramento (Kournikova)

Friday, July 6
St. Louis @ Boston
Philadelphia @ Delaware
Houston @ Kansas City
Sacramento (Kournikova) @ Newport Beach

Saturday, July 7
Boston @ Philadelphia
Houston @ St. Louis
Springfield @ Newport Beach

Sunday, July 8
NY Sportimes @ Boston
Delaware @ New York Buzz
Sacramento (Kournikova) @ Houston
Newport Beach @ Kansas City

Monday, July 9
New York Buzz @ St. Louis

Tuesday, July 10
Kansas City (Bryan Bro.) @ NY Sportimes
Delaware @ Philadelphia
St. Louis @ Houston
New York Buzz @ Springfield
Sacramento @ Newport Beach (Sampras)

Wednesday, July 11
Boston @ New York Buzz
Springfield @ NY Sportimes
Kansas City (Bryan Bro.) @ Delaware
Houston @ Sacramento

Thursday, July 12
NY Sportimes @ Boston
Philadelphia @ Delaware
Newport Beach @ Springfield

Friday, July 13
Delaware @ Boston
Philadelphia @ New York Buzz
Newport Beach @ Houston
Kansas City (Bryan Bro.) @ St. Louis

Saturday, July 14
New York Buzz @ NY Sportimes
Boston @ Philadelphia
Springfield @ Delaware
Houston @ Kansas City (Bryan Bro.)
St. Louis @ Sacramento

Sunday, July 15
Kansas City @ Springfield
St. Louis @ Newport Beach

Monday, July 16
Houston @ Boston
Sacramento @ New York Buzz
NY Sportimes (McEnroe) @ Philadelphia
Kansas City @ Newport Beach

Tuesday, July 17
Philadelphia (V. Williams) @ NY Sportimes
New York Buzz @ Delaware
Springfield @ Houston
Sacramento @ St. Louis

Wednesday, July 18
Philadelphia (V. Williams) @ Boston
Newport Beach (Sampras) @ New York Buzz
NY Sportimes (McEnroe) @ Delaware
St. Louis @ Springfield
Kansas City @ Sacramento

Thursday, July 19
Boston @ NY Sportimes (McEnroe)
Newport Beach (Sampras) @ Philadelphia
Springfield @ Kansas City

Friday, July 20
Houston @ Philadelphia (V. Williams)
Springfield @ St. Louis
Delaware @ Sacramento

Saturday, July 21
New York Buzz @ NY Sportimes
Delaware @ Houston
Boston @ Springfield
St. Louis @ Kansas City
Newport Beach @ Sacramento

Sunday, July 22
NY Sportimes @ New York Buzz
Boston @ Kansas City
Philadelphia (V. Williams) @ Newport Beach

Monday, July 23
Boston @ Delaware
Houston @ Springfield
NY Sportimes @ St. Louis
Philadelphia @ Sacramento

Tuesday, July 24
New York Buzz @ Boston
Kansas City @ Houston
Sacramento @ Springfield
Newport Beach (Sampras) @ St. Louis

Wednesday, July 25
Delaware @ New York Buzz
Sacramento @ Kansas City
NY Sportimes (McEnroe) @ Newport Beach

WTT Player Draft:    March 27 in Miami
WTT Regular season:    July 5-25
WTT Championship Weekend:     July 27-29 in Roseville, Calif.; top two teams from both the Western and Eastern Conference advance to the WTT Championship Weekend.
- Western & Eastern Conference Championship: July 27-28
- WTT Finals:  July 29

Eastern Conference:     Boston Lobsters, Delaware Smash, New York Buzz, New York Sportimes, Philadelphia Freedoms
Western Conference:      Houston Wranglers, Kansas City Explorers, Newport Beach Breakers, Sacramento Capitals, Springfield Lasers, St. Louis Aces