Conference Champions to battle for King Trophy at Kastles Stadium

 

NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 7, 2009) – The 2009 Advanta World TeamTennis Finals are coming to the nation’s capital for the first time in the League’s 34-year history.

 

League officials announced today that the Washington Kastles will host the Advanta WTT Finals on Sunday, July 26, at Kastles Stadium in downtown Washington, D.C. The last time the Advanta WTT Finals was played on the East Coast was in 2004 on the grounds of the US Open in New York.

 

The Kastles will be one of 10 co-ed professional tennis teams battling for a spot in the Finals during the 2009 regular season which runs July 2-22. The top two teams from the regular season in both the Western and Eastern Conference will advance to the Advanta WTT Conference Championships on Friday, July 24, on the home court of the top-seeded team from each Conference. The Conference Champions face off for the King Trophy, named after League co-founder Billie Jean King, in the Advanta WTT Finals on Sunday, July 26. The New York Buzz are the defending WTT Champions, defeating the Kansas City Explorers in the 2008 Finals.

 

The Kastles drew near-capacity crowds during their inaugural season in 2008 and had D.C. area sports fans and media talking World TeamTennis last summer. “Based on the Kastles’ first year presentation and the excitement the local ownership group lead by Mark Ein has generated, the League is thrilled to bring the Advanta WTT Finals to Washington, D.C.,” said WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss. “It will be great for our many East Coast fans to have the opportunity to experience the Finals in person for the first time in several years. This will be a terrific environment to showcase our premier event.”

 

“We are thrilled that the League asked us to host the 2009 Advanta WTT Finals,” said Ein. “This is a testament to our community’s tremendous support for the team and to the world-class fan experience at Kastles Stadium.” Tickets for the Advanta WTT Finals and the Kastles regular season go on sale on May 11 through the Kastles office at 202-4-TENNIS or visit www.washingtonkastles.com.

 

The 2009 season includes one of the most intriguing lineups in the League’s 34-year history. In addition to a marquee lineup of some of the sports’ biggest names including Andre Agassi, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, WTT will also make history this summer with four top young Americans forming the first all-junior team in League history, playing for the New York Buzz. Other top names scheduled to play in the Advanta WTT Pro League this summer include Kim Clijsters, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova, Martina Navratilova, Michael Chang, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

 

Each WTT team is comprised of a coach, two male and two female players who play five total sets of singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Eastern Conference teams are the Boston Lobsters, New York Buzz, New York Sportimes, Philadelphia Freedoms and the Washington Kastles. Western Conference teams are the Kansas City Explorers, Newport Beach Breakers, Sacramento Capitals, St. Louis Aces and the Springfield Lasers.

 

Visit www.WTT.com for more information.

 

About Advanta WTT Pro League:

WTT is well known for introducing innovative elements to tennis including instant replay, co-ed format, multi-colored courts, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Supertiebreakers and player names on back of their shirts. Team matches consist of five events, with one set each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. The first team to reach five games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four-all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, Overtime and a Supertiebreaker are played to determine the winner of the match. Advanta is the title sponsor of the Advanta WTT Pro League and the official business credit card of WTT. Official Advanta WTT Pro League sponsors for the 2009 season include FirmGreen Energy, GEICO and Wilson Racquet Sports. The United States Tennis Association is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis. WTT and the USTA are teaming up on number of initiatives, including development of the youth market through junior team tennis programs. Media Contact: Rosie Crews, WTT (rcrews@wtt.com) – PH: 817.684.0366