Rec Teams Capture Titles

VEGAS (May 1, 2006) – It’s never too late to try something new. That’s a lesson that helped 70-year-old Gordon Davis lead his team, Braemar Fabulous Fifties of Tarzana, Calif., to a division title at the WTT Recreational League National Qualifiers this past weekend in Las Vegas. Davis, who joined his first WTT Rec League team this season, and his teammates earned a trip to the WTT National Finals by winning the Senior 4.0 title, one of seven division championships contested at the Darling Tennis Center.

Sixty-two teams representing 13 states competed this past weekend for regional championships in a national qualifying event for the World TeamTennis Recreational League presented by Advanta.

Davis, currently #2 in the world on the ITF 70 and over rankings, and his teammates dominated the Diehards of Long Beach, Calif., 36-23 in the final to advance to the WTT Nationals, Nov. 2-5, in Indian Wells, Calif. It will be a return trip for many members of the team that won the Senior 4.0 Championship at the WTT Nationals in 2004.In other action from the WTT National Qualifier in Las Vegas:

3.0 Division: It took a dramatic 31-30 Supertiebreaker victory in the semifinals for Tulsa 3.0 Champs of Tulsa, Okla., to make it to the 3.0 Division finals. But after outlasting Fremont’s Under-Rated of Albuquerque, N.M, in the semis, Tulsa ran into the powerful Some Beaches squad of Las Vegas. Team captain Mike Marasco led Some Beaches to a 29-22 victory over Tulsa 3.0 Champs to win the title and qualify for their first trip to the WTT Nationals.

3.5 Division: NG’s Tennis Nutts of Las Vegas held off an overtime rally from All In of Studio City, Calif., for a 25-23 victory and the 3.5 Division crown. In the finals, All In won the final mixed doubles set but was trailing 24-21 in the match. Under WTT rules, if the trailing team wins the final set, the match is sent into Overtime and continues until the leading team wins one game or the trailing team ties the match score. NG’s Tennis Nutts dropped the first two games in Overtime before holding off All In for a 25-23 win. Jeff Ng is the captain of NG’s Tennis Nutts who will be making their first trip to the WTT Nationals.

4.0 Division: The Roadrunners of Albuquerque, N.M., ran away with the title in the 4.0 Division. With a 3-0 record in round robin play, the Roadrunners advance to the semifinals where they handily defeated The Falls Country Club of Lubbock, Texas, 36-12. In the championship final, the Roadrunners continued their onslaught with a 32-19 win over Club Rehab with members from Holualoa, Hawaii, and the San Fernando Valley. Romela Carman is the captain of Roadrunners, who will be making their first trip to the WTT Nationals.

4.5 Division: It seems fitting that a team called Rat Pack would win big in Las Vegas, even if they are from Miami. With only four players on their team, the odds seemed to be against Rat Pack. Led by captain Millie Armas, the quartet went undefeated in round robin play to win the 4.5 Division.

Rat Pack posted a 5-0 record, outdistancing the San Diego Roamers of San Diego, Calif., with a 4-1 mark.

Senior 3.5 Division: For some members of Young at Heart of Las Vegas, their trip to the 2005 WTT Nationals was a heart-breaker as they lost the championship final by only one point. The 2006 version of Young at Heart will have the opportunity to avenge that loss after earning another trip to the WTT Nationals will a 33-25 victory over Fresno Tennis Club of Kingsburg, Calif., in the Senior 3.5 Division final. Don Curnutt is once again the captain of Young at Heart.

Open Division: For the first time in several years, a WTT National Qualifier included Open Division teams. Although only three teams entered the division, it was a close battle for the title. After all three teams posted 2-2 records in round robin play, the Sherwood Country Club of Thousand Oaks, Calif., topped SFTC of San Francisco for the championship based on winning percentage. Sherwood Country Club, led by captain Jeff Richards who is also a local league coordinator for WTT Rec League teams, posted a 51% winning percentage, edging out SFTC with 50%.

In addition to qualifiers already contested in Bradenton, Fla., and Las Vegas, National Qualifying events will be held in St. Louis (July 14-16), Schenectady, N.Y. (July 21-23), Atlanta (August 25-27) and Irvine, Calif. (September 29-31). The WTT National Finals will be held November 2-5 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. For more information on World TeamTennis or the WTT Recreational League, visit www.WTT.com or call 866- PLAY-WTT.

WTT Recreational League programs feature year-round leagues which use the unique coed team format created in the 1970s by Billie Jean King and Larry King. More than 435,000 tennis players of all levels compete in WTT Recreational Leagues in parks, schools, clubs and tennis facilities in more than 1,000 cities.

The WTT format is a fun, fast-paced co-ed team format that encourages equal contributions from both genders. A team has a minimum of four players, two men and two women. The WTT format uses five or six no-ad sets: men’s and women’s doubles, men’s and women’s singles and one or two sets of mixed doubles. The WTT format stands out in the tennis community with several innovative firsts for the sport including co-ed teams, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Overtime and Supertiebreakers and encourages fans to cheer and support their teams throughout the matches.

Advanta is the presenting sponsor of the WTT Recreational League and the official business credit card of World TeamTennis. Official WTT Recreational League sponsors also include Gatorade and Wilson Racquet Sports.

For more information on WTT, visit www.WTT.com.

Media Contact: Josh Weissman, GEM Group – 323.850.6584
Rosie Crews, GEM Group – 817.684.0366