Down 2-4 in the final event, a game away from losing to the Sacramento Capitals, Springfield Lasers’ Alisa Kleybanova and Vania King dug-in and battled back. After winning the next two games, the best doubles pairing in World Team Tennis won the set tiebreak, forcing a Supertiebreak at 19-all. Momentum favoring Springfield, Sacramento’s Olga Govortsova and Megan Moulton-Levy struggled to find thier rhythm; and when the smoke cleared, the Lasers wallked away with a 7-2 win the Supertiebreak, and a 20-19 “too-close-for-comfort” win over the Capitals. To quote a tweet from Lasers Coach JL de Jager: “I am losing all my hair!”
The surging Orange County Breakers, the other top team in the Western Conference, had a much easier test last night against John McEnroe and the New York Sportimes. Though Treat Huey and Maria Elena Camerin got bageled in Mixed by McEnroe and Kveta Peschke, the Breakers were still able to pull off a convincing road-win 20-13. Both the Lasers and Breakers are 6-3 on the season, determined to win, hoping for a hiccup from the other. To add some drama to the mix: The Lasers will play the Breakers in Orange County next Wednesday; their final regular-season meeting this year. The most likely Eastern Confernce opponent in the WTT Finals: The Washington Kastles.
While Alisa and Vania stepped up big last night in Springfield, the Lasers need to see improvement in Mens and Womens Singles if they’re going to have a chance in the playoffs. While Rik de Voest continues to struggle, last night Kleybanova played singles instead of King, and the results weren’t much better. She lost 1-5 to Olga Govortsova.
7/18 – WIN 20-19 in a Supertiebreak over the Sacramento Capitals
MD (W) 5-2 Rojer/DeVoest vs. Knowles/Sweeting
MXD (W) 5-3 Rojer/Kleybanova vs. Sweeting/Govortsova
MS (L) 3-5 DeVoest vs. Sweeting
WS (L) 1-5 Kleybanova vs. Govortsova
WD (W) 5-4 King/Kleybanova vs. Govertsova/Mouton-Levy
STB (W) (7-2)
*** NEXT UP: Philadelphia in Springfield 7/20 at 7:00pm
2013 WORLD TEAM TENNIS STANDINGS
Western Conference
- Orange County Breakers 6-3
- Springfield Lasers 6-3
- Texas Wild 5-4
- Sacramento Capitals 3-6
Eastern Conference
- Washington Kastles 6-2
- New York Sportimes 4-5
- Boston Lobsters 3-6
- Philadelphia Freedoms 2-6
