Pro World TeamTennis not the only show in town

The Newport Beach Breakers won’t be the only team playing World TeamTennis in Newport Beach this summer.

Sage Hill School will have two teams in the High School World TeamTennis Summer League. The matches will be played at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club and will coincide with the Breakers’ July season.

“It’s been really exciting,” said A.G. Longoria, the league’s commissioner who started it up five years ago. “It’s a good way to get ready for the next season. Coaches love it because they get to see incoming freshmen and it’s a good way to experience with doubles lineups.”

Longoria also coaches boys’ and girls’ tennis’ teams at Sage Hill. The high school WTT league will also include Mater Dei, Santa Margarita and El Toro.

The league will be the only co-ed high school competition in California, according to WTT National Program Coordinator Delane Mast.

“With singles, doubles and mixed doubles, it takes strong players from both sexes to win the league,” Mast said.

Just to be sure there wouldn’t not be any controversy, Longoria ran the idea past CIF before initiating the league five years ago. He said everything is OK with the competition and it does not interfere with CIF rules.

For several years, WTT has been trying to have CIF adopt its format, or at least play co-ed tennis. Longoria helped provide an alternative and he expanded the format to feature more players and produce greater strategy.

Team matches will be played on three courts simultaneously. The first round will have two boys’ singles and one girls’ doubles sets. Round two will highlight two girls’ singles and one boys’ doubles sets. The final round will feature three mixed doubles sets.

Another intriguing facet is, just like pro WTT, the high school teams can substitute at any time, even in the middle of a set.

“The WTT format is exciting, the teams really get into it, the cheering is loud and the outcome is always in doubt,” Longoria said. “I think our matches can sometimes be just as exciting as the WTT pro matches.”

For those interested in entering the WTT high school league, contact Longoria at [email protected] or call (714) 349-7544. League fees of $300 per team cover court and league fees, balls and trophies. Deadline to enter a team is July 6.

— From staff reports