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Newport Beach Breakers to debut at new home Tuesday night
The Newport Beach Breakers will play their first World Team Tennis match at their new home, The Tennis Club Newport Beach, Tuesday night, amid confidence that both fans and the team will benefit from the move.
All of the approximately 1,750 seats are within 30 feet of the court. Fans will be able to park on site, instead of having to take a shuttle bus, as was the case the past three seasons when the Breakers played in a specially constructed stadium in the parking lot of the Newport Beach Country Club, team executive director Jeff Purser said.
The move allowed the Breakers to make "a combination of operational changes that really, really helped us cost wise," Purser told a local wire service.
The team will no longer have to bring in lighting and generators, a $40,000 savings over the course of the seven-match schedule, and pay for about 2,500 feet of fencing at $1.50 per foot. The Breakers are also spared from spending $5,000 to $20,000 to repair the court at their previous home, Purser said.
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The reduction in expenses is expected to lead in an increase in revenue to the Hoag Hospital Foundation, which receives all the team's profits, Purser said.
The Breakers' home schedule includes three matches involving players who were once ranked No. 1 in the world.
Maria Sharapova will play for the Breakers in their July 20 match against the Kansas City Explorers, Lindsay Davenport will play for the St. Louis Aces against the Breakers July 15, and John McEnroe will play for the New York Sportimes July 22.
The roster of Tuesday's opponent, the Sacramento Capitals, includes Vania King, a Long Beach resident who teamed with Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan to win the Wimbledon women's doubles championship Saturday.
The Breakers were 9-5 last season, finishing second in the five-team Western Conference and losing in the semifinals of the playoffs. They return both their female players from last year – Julie Ditty and Marie-Eve Pelletier – while both their male players are newcomers – David Martin, a Huntington Beach resident, and Lester Cook.
World Team Tennis matches consist of one set each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. The team winning the most games wins the match.
The league, which is beginning its 35th season, is far different from tournament tennis, Purser said.
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"We're not Wimbledon," Purser said. "A World Team Tennis match is very much like an NBA game – there's talking, cheering, fun promotions between sets and a unique and festive atmosphere."
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