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AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Houston, We Have Cheerleaders!
WTT fans in Houston are counting the days until the next home match with the new Houston Wranglers cheerleader calendar. The Wranglers are using the calendars as giveaways on special nights during the season. For more information, visit www.houstonwranglers.net.
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Springfield dominates West and Week 1
with 6-0 record
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 The Springfield Lasers continue to outpace their Western Conference opponents, upping their perfect record to a League-leading 6-0 with a 20-15 win over the Kansas City Explorers on Thursday night.
Anastasia Myskina led the charge with a 5-0 win over Wimbledon junior girls' champ Caroline Wozniacki. Myskina also teamed with Victoria Azarenka for a 5-2 doubles victory over Corina Morariu and Wozniacki.
Sacramento remains two behind the Lasers with a 20-17 overtime win over the Newport Beach Breakers.
Delaware hangs on to their narrow 1/2 match lead over the New York Sportimes in the East with a 22- 21 Supertiebreaker nail-biter over the Hartford FoxForce. The Sportimes crushed Boston 23-13 late Thursday to keep pace with the Smash.
Key match-ups for Friday, July 14:
St. Louis @ Springfield: Can the Aces hand the Lasers their first loss? They will have to find a way to stop Anastasia Myskina in her last appearance of the season for the Lasers. (Good luck with that.)
NY Sportimes @ Boston: Martina Navratilova (Boston) makes her 2006 WTT debut in Lobster land as she returns for her record-breaking 18th WTT season. Is it enough to get Boston out of the Eastern Conference cellar? Never bet against the 49-year-old wonder!
Philadelphia @ Delaware: A rivalry match that actually means something. Delaware is leading the East, but Philly is on a roll after rebounding from a sluggish start. Can the Freedoms train keep rolling? Philadelphia should get a boost with the first appearance of the Lisa Raymond- Rennae Stubbs doubles team, but check out Delaware's show-stopper Angela Haynes - this kid can play.
Keep track of the action with live scoring on www.WTT.com.
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How They Stand . . .
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as of July 14
| EASTERN CONFERENCE |
MP |
W |
L |
PCT |
MB |
| Delaware Smash |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0.800 |
--- |
| New York Sportimes |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0.667 |
0.5 |
| Hartford FoxForce |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0.500 |
1.5 |
| Philadelphia Freedoms
| 5 |
2
| 3 |
0.400 |
2 |
| New York Buzz
| 6 |
2 |
4 |
0.333 |
2.5 |
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| Boston Lobsters
| 5 |
1 |
4 |
0.200 |
3 |
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| WESTERN CONFERENCE |
MP |
W |
L |
PCT |
MB |
| Springfield Lasers |
6 |
6 |
0 |
1.000 |
- |
| Sacramento Capitals |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0.667 |
2 |
| St. Louis Aces |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0.400 |
3.5 |
| Houston Wranglers |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0.400 |
3.5 |
| Newport Beach Breakers |
6 |
2 |
4 |
0.333 |
4 |
| Kansas City Explorers |
5 |
1 |
4 |
0.200 |
4.5 |
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SI.com: WTT is 'everything right about sports'
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From Jon Wertheim's Inside Tennis column at SI.com - Wertheim lists the top 10 things he would do if he was the commissioner of tennis.
#9. Make some space for a legitimate World Team Tennis schedule: This 'leaguelet' is everything right about sports. It's family-friendly; it's affordable; it's unafraid to experiment; it's a throwback to those days when sports didn't take themselves so seriously. Never mind the economics or the calendar issues. There ought to be room under the tent.
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The Week Ahead . . .
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July 15: The newly crowned Wimbledon doubles champs - Mike & Bob Bryan - lead the KC Explorers to Hartford.
July 18: Pete Sampras returns to the scene of his first pro title when the Newport Beach Breakers take on the Philadelphia Freedoms in the City of Brotherly Love.
July 19: A star-studded night in WTT as Todd Martin, Venus Williams, Pete Sampras, Anna Kournikova and the Bryan Brothers are all in action. Martin is making his WTT debut for the Boston Lobsters in Beantown.
July 21: Martina Hingis comes full circle in her only WTT appearance of the summer for the New York Sportimes. Hingis' comeback started with an amazing run last season in WTT.
Tune In:
July 16: Newport Beach (Sampras) @ Sacramento on OLN (11:30 am EDT)
July 18: NY Sportimes @ Boston (Navratilova) on The Tennis Channel (8 pm EDT)
Complete WTT TV listings
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WTT HOT SHOT
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Angela Haynes of the Delaware Smash was a surprise entry in the Anna Kournikova look-a-like contest in Wilmington on opening night. The real Kournikova was amused by Haynes' look but selected a local teen as the winner.
(Photo: Chuck Weber/Conduit)
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