Former world No. 1s Leach, Stark win doubles exhibition

Rick Leach, posing before Saturday's exhibition in the
Sacramento suburb of Antelope, won five Grand Slam
men's doubles titles. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark edged Mark Knowles and Brian MacPhie 5-7, 6-2 [10-8] Saturday in an exhibition of former professional doubles stars at the Antelope Community Tennis Center in the Sacramento area.
   All except MacPhie climbed to No. 1 in the world in doubles. Knowles and MacPhie starred for the now-defunct Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis.
   Leach, 51, Knowles, 45, and Stark, 45, combined for 15 Grand Slam doubles titles. Leach won nine (five men's and four mixed), Knowles four (three men's and one mixed) and Stark two (one men's and one mixed).
   MacPhie, a 44-year-old left-hander originally from San Jose, peaked at No. 22 in men's doubles. He reached five Grand Slam quarterfinals in men's doubles, one with Knowles (2001 U.S. Open).
   All four players starred at Pacific-12 Conference schools -- Stark at Stanford, Knowles at UCLA and Leach and MacPhie at USC.

Exhibition to feature three former No. 1s in doubles

Tennis Channel commentator Mark Knowles interviews Roger
Federer at Indian Wells in 2014. Knowles will return to the Sac-
ramento area, where he starred for the Capitals in World Team-
Tennis, for a doubles exhibition on Oct. 1. Photo by Paul Bauman

   These are tough times for men's professional tennis in Sacramento.
   The Capitals of World TeamTennis folded in 2014 after 28 seasons. A one-night legends tournament starring Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Jim Courier lasted one year in 2014. Ditto for the WTT's California Dream in 2015. A Challenger tournament is moving to nearby Stockton next month after 11 years.
   Into the void steps a one-day exhibition featuring three former world No. 1 doubles players on Oct. 1 at the Antelope Community Tennis Center in the Sacramento area.
   Former Capitals Mark Knowles and Brian MacPhie will face Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark in a best-of-three-set match at 4 p.m. All except MacPhie reached No. 1.
   The all-day event, hosted by ex-Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, will begin with a pro-am at 10 a.m. A children's clinic will be held at noon, and top juniors will play exhibition sets at 2 p.m.
   Tickets cost $25, and pro-am spots can be purchased for $500. Sponsorship opportunities and VIP seating also are available. Proceeds benefit the Sacramento Community Tennis Association, whose mission is to help underprivileged children play the sport.
   Leach, 51, Knowles, 45, and Stark, 45, combined for 15 Grand Slam doubles titles. Leach won nine (five men's and four mixed), Knowles four (three men's and one mixed), and Stark two (one men's and one mixed).
  MacPhie, a 44-year-old left-hander originally from San Jose, peaked at No. 22 in men's doubles. He reached five Grand Slam quarterfinals in men's doubles, one with Knowles (2001 U.S. Open).
  Bryan, Knowles and MacPhie were adopted Sacramentans.
  Bryan, the father of doubles stars and identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, coached the Capitals for 12 of his 13 WTT seasons (Idaho in 1999 and Sacramento in 2002-13). He won three Coach of the Year awards and two WTT titles.
   Knowles, affectionately known as "Knowlzee," played all 12 of his WTT seasons (2001-07 and 2009-13) with the Capitals.The Bahamas native competed on two league championship teams and won three WTT Male MVP awards.
   MacPhie played seven seasons for the Capitals (1996-2002). Known menacingly as "The Hammer," he helped the team win five WTT titles and, like Knowles, earned three league Male MVP awards.
   All four players starred at Pacific-12 Conference schools -- Stark at Stanford, Knowles at UCLA, and Leach and MacPhie at USC,
   To purchase tickets to the exhibition, go to ticketleap.com. For more information, call (916) 757-3739.

Net loss: Sac Caps move to Las Vegas after 28 years

Wayne Bryan announced he is stepping down
after coaching the Sacramento Capitals for
13 years. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   For more than a quarter century, July nights in Sacramento have featured world-class coed tennis, generally pleasant weather and a familiar exchange between the public address announcer and the crowd.
   "What time is it?"
   "Break time!"
   Those nights are gone.
   The Capitals, the longest-running and most successful franchise in World TeamTennis, announced today that they are moving to Las Vegas as the Neon after 28 years in Sacramento.
   "It's certainly the end of an era," said Wayne Bryan, who also revealed he is stepping down after 13 years as the team's coach. "The Caps have had a long and proud tradition."
   Sacramento has won a record six WTT championships, including four straight (1997-2000). The Capitals mostly struggled on and off the court since their last title in 2007 but came within three points of beating the Washington Kastles in the 2012 WTT Finals.
   In that match, Sacramento's CoCo Vandeweghe led Venus Williams 2-0 in the decisive tiebreaker before Williams reeled off the last five points to give Washington a 20-19 victory. 

Mark Knowles has played 12 seasons in World TeamTennis,
all with Sacramento. Knowles, 42, plans to return to WTT
this summer. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   Capitals players over the years have included Las Vegas resident Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Lindsay Davenport, Mark Knowles and Anna Kournikova.
   Agassi and Chang are members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and Davenport almost certainly will be inducted in July. Knowles and Kournikova reached No. 1 in the world in men's and women's doubles, respectively.
   Among those who have visited Sacramento to oppose the Capitals are Hall of Famers Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin and Martina Hingis and future Hall of Famers Serena and Venus Williams, Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan (Wayne's identical twin sons).
   "It's obviously a tough day," said the 42-year-old Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP who plans to return for his 13th season in the league. "I have such fond memories of Sacramento. It's the only team I've played for. The fans have been incredibly special, and I've been fortunate to be with a lot of great owners. It definitely will be bizarre not playing in Sacramento."

Lindsay Davenport, a former Capital, almost
certainly will be inducted into the International
Tennis Hall of Fame in July. 2012 photo
by Paul Bauman

   The Capitals' exodus represents the latest blow to Northern California in professional tennis. The SAP Open, which would have been held next week in San Jose, was replaced on the ATP World Tour calendar by Rio de Janeiro after 125 years in NorCal.
   Remaining are the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford on the WTA tour and several men's and women's Challenger (minor-league) tournaments. 
   Kolleen McNamee, who will continue to serve as the WTT team's general manager, cited the lack of a permanent tennis facility in the Sacramento area as the reason for the move.
   The Capitals played in a temporary stadium in the parking lot of a shopping mall -- first in Citrus Heights, then in Roseville, then back to Citrus Heights -- for the past 12 seasons. The capacity progressively was reduced from 4,500 to 2,134.
   It cost $125,000 annually to set up and take down the facility, according to former Capitals owner Lonnie Nielson. 
   Sacramento played its inaugural campaign in 1986 in the first home of the NBA's Kings and the following 15 seasons at the Gold River Racquet Club. Prompting the move from Gold River were complaints by neighbors about noise, lights and parking.
   McNamee would not disclose how the team did financially last season as the Capitals slumped to 5-9, the worst record in team history. They averaged 1,357 fans for their seven home matches, she said. 

Mike, left, and Bob Bryan, the identical twin sons of Wayne
Bryan, pose with Capitals owner Deepal Wannakuwatte and
  his wife, Betsy, after a match last July. The Bryan brothers
played for the visiting Texas Wild. 2013 photo by Paul Bauman

   It's no longer feasible to use a temporary stadium, according to McNamee.
   "There have been a number of (Capitals) ownership changes over the last five or six years, and probably those ownership changes have occurred because it's difficult to fund a franchise when you're spending a big amount of money on the stadium each year," she said. "To be fiscally responsible, it makes sense to make this move."
   Perhaps, but the ownership changes have involved far more than stadium issues. 
   Nielson, the Capitals' owner or co-owner from 2000 through 2010, pleaded guilty to grand theft related to his real estate business in the fall of 2010 and was released from prison last summer.
   Bob Cook, the team's owner or co-owner from 2008 through 2011, declared bankruptcy after the 2011 season.
   The team now is owned by Deepal Wannakuwatte, who has a medical supply company based in West Sacramento.
   WTT, meanwhile, has been in flux. Three of the four teams in the Western Conference -- Las Vegas, the San Diego Aviators and the Austin (Texas) Aces -- moved from other cities during the offseason. The other, the Texas Wild, relocated from Kansas City after the 2012 season.   
  The Neon will play at the Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center, a certified USTA regional training center featuring a permanent 3,000-seat stadium.
   A fringe benefit of moving to Las Vegas is that marquee player Sam Querrey, a part-time Capital for the past two seasons, lives in the tax haven.
   On the negative side, high winds are common in Las Vegas, and it's a very tough sports market. Many residents and tourists are reluctant to pay to attend a sporting event when they might make money by gambling.
   The Tennis Channel Open, a tournament on the ATP World Tour at the Darling Tennis Center, lasted only three years (2006-08). 
   Wayne Bryan led the Capitals to two WTT titles (2002 and 2007) and was named the league's Coach of the Year three times (2004-06). The front man for the Bryan Bros. Band, Wayne composed and performed in "Sac Town Caps Songs" on a 2010 compact disc.
   Bryan, who also travels around the country emceeing tournaments and holding clinics, said the Capitals' move to Las Vegas made his decision to step down easier.
   "I'm trying to shorten up my schedule. I do about 180 days a year, and I promised (wife) Kathy I'd try to knock it down to 120 days," said Bryan, a resident of Camarillo in the Los Angeles area who will turn 67 on Feb. 19.
   "I've got two grandkids that at this stage of my life I'd like to be able to see a little bit. Bob and Mike will only be playing for three or four more years, and I'd like to spend as much time with them as I can.
   "I'm usually on the road about 10 of the 12 weeks of summer, and I'd rather be gone five of the 12 weeks and be able to have a summer barbecue and mow the grass."
   McNamee said the Neon would name Bryan's successor "in the coming weeks."
   WTT will hold its marquee player draft next Tuesday and its roster player draft on March 11. The regular season is scheduled for July 6-23, followed by the conference championships on July 24 and the WTT Finals on July 27.
   But for Sacramento fans, what time is it?
   Time to turn out the lights.
   The party's over.

Capitals have major concerns entering season

Mark Knowles, who reached No. 1 in the world in doubles
in 2002 and 2004, will return for his 12th season with the
Sacramento Capitals at age 41. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   For a team that came within three points of winning the World TeamTennis title last year, the Sacramento Capitals have an alarming number of concerns entering their 28th season.
   Topping the list is a women's lineup with zero WTT experience. Americans Taylor Townsend, 17, and Megan-Moulton Levy, 28, replace Asia Muhammad and Yasmin Schnack.
   Women are more important than men in WTT, with its no-add scoring and sets up to five games. Because women are less powerful, they are more likely to break serve and create leads.
   The Capitals' two full-time men have their issues, too. Mark Knowles, who reached No. 1 in the world in men's doubles in 2002 and 2004, is 41 years old. Ryan Sweeting's singles ranking has plummeted from a career-high No. 64 in 2011 to No. 293. 
   One of Sacramento's two marquee players, 31-year-old Mardy Fish, has missed most of the past 15 months with heart palpitations. He is scheduled to play three matches, all early in the three-week regular season that begins on Sunday night.
   Finally, there's no Kevin Anderson, Vania King or CoCo Vandeweghe to bail out the Capitals. All played part-time for Sacramento last year.
   The 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Anderson, ranked 23rd in the world, will play for Washington this season. Just what the Capitals and the rest of the league need -- for the Kastles to get stronger. Washington edged Sacramento 20-19 last year in Charleston, S.C., for its second consecutive WTT title and 32nd straight victory.

Under coach Wayne Bryan, the Capitals came within
three points of winning the World TeamTennis title
last season. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   King will return to the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers, with whom she won the 2009 WTT Female MVP award, after playing three full- or part-time seasons with the Capitals.
   The 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Vandeweghe, who reached the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford last summer as a qualifer, will play for the Orange County Breakers. They're based in Irvine, about 90 minutes up Interstate 5 from her home in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe.
   Not that all is lost for the Capitals, however.
   Townsend, a 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) left-hander, ended 2012 as the No. 1 junior girl in the world. She became the first U.S. girl to hold the No. 1 year-end ranking since Gretchen Rush in 1982.
   Townsend also beat the world's 57th-ranked woman, Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, in March.
   After falling in today's Wimbledon girls final, Townsend will miss Sunday's 7:35 p.m. season opener against the Texas Wild at Sunrise Mall in the Sacramento area and possibly Monday night's home match against the Philadelphia Freedoms.
   “Many tennis insiders think Taylor has potential to be the next great American women’s
player," Sacramento coach Wayne Bryan said when the Capitals drafted Townsend in March, although 18-year-olds Madison Keys and Samantha Crawford are also in the conversation.
   Nicole Gibbs, who turned pro out of Stanford last month after winning her second straight NCAA singles title as a junior, will replace Townsend.
   Moulton-Levy, a 5-foot (1.52-meter) doubles specialist, is ranked a career-high No. 57 in that department.     
   Marquee player Sam Querrey, the top-ranked American man at No. 19 in the world, will return for his second part-time season with Sacramento. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) San Francisco native is scheduled to play the Capitals' final four regular-season matches. He competed in six last year and finishing second in the men's singles standings.
   Because of their schedule, the Capitals could get off to a fast start and then cool off. They will play the first five of their 14 regular-season matches at home and seven of their last nine on the road.

CAPITALS’ SCHEDULE

(Home matches at Capitals Stadium, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights)

   Sunday vs. Texas, 7:35 p.m.

   Monday vs. Philadelphia, 7:35 p.m.

   Wednesday vs. Orange County, 7:35 p.m. (Mardy Fish plays for Capitals)
   Friday vs. Boston, 7:35 p.m. (Fish plays for Capitals)

   Saturday vs. Washington, 7:35 p.m. (Fish plays for Capitals)

   July 14 at Texas, 5:35 p.m.

   July 15 at Orange County, 7 p.m. 

   July 17 vs. Texas, 7:35 p.m. (Bob and Mike Bryan play for Wild)
   July 18 at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.

   July 19 at Boston, 4 p.m. (Mark Philippoussis plays for Lobsters)

   July 21 at Orange County, 5 p.m. (Sam Querrey plays for Capitals)

   July 22 vs. Orange County, 7:35 p.m. (Querrey plays for Capitals)

   July 23 at Springfield, 5:05 p.m. (Querrey plays for Capitals)

   July 24 at Texas, 5:35 p.m. (Querrey plays for Capitals)

TICKETS

   $25-$70 (discounts for children). For more information, visit www.saccaps.com or call (916) 747-6728.

2013 CAPITALS

   Mardy Fish, 31, Westwood, Calif. ... Fifth World TeamTennis season (second with Capitals). ... Scheduled to play three matches for Capitals, all early in season. ... Has missed much of last 18 months with irregular heartbeat. Has played only two tournaments this year and none since April. ... Ranked No. 43 in world after reaching career-high No. 7 in 2011. ... Singles quarterfinalist at Australian Open (2007), U.S. Open (2008) and Wimbledon (2011). ... Has won six career ATP World Tour titles in singles and eight in doubles (including San Jose in 2004 with James Blake and 2010 with Sam Querrey). ... Won singles silver medal in 2004 Olympics in Athens, losing to Nicolas Massu of Chile 6-4 in fifth set after leading two sets to one. ... Seven-time U.S. Davis Cup team member. ... Named 2006 Comeback Player of Year after undergoing two operations on left wrist.  ... Has booming serve, excellent return of serve. ... Moved from native Minnesota to Florida at age 4 and lived with Andy Roddick in 1999 during high school.

   Mark Knowles (captain), 41, Bahamas. ... Twelfth WTT season (all with Capitals). ... Retired from ATP World Tour last September as one of best doubles players in Open Era (since 1968). ...  Reached No. 1 in world in doubles in 2002 and 2004. Finished in top 10 for eight straight years (2002-09). … In April 2010, became fifth player in ATP history to record 700 doubles match wins. … Has won four Grand Slam titles: three in men’s doubles with ex-partner Daniel Nestor (2002 Australian Open, 2004 U.S. Open and 2007 French Open) and one in mixed doubles with Anna-Lena Groenefeld (2009 Wimbledon). … Overall, has won 55 men’s doubles crowns (tied for 15th in Open Era). Won at least one in 19 of 20 seasons (1992-2012). … Five-time Olympian for Bahamas (1992-2008). ... Three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007), tied with ex-Capital Brian MacPhie (1996-98) for men’s record. ... Has coached Fish since March 2012. ... Possesses textbook volley and return of serve.
    Megan Moulton-Levy, 28, Washington, D.C. ... First WTT season ... Doubles specialist, only 5 feet (1.52 meters), is ranked a career-high No. 57 in that category. ... Recorded first Grand Slam doubles victory of career in 2013 Australian Open. ... Reached doubles semifinals in Auckland, Memphis, Charleston and s'-Hertogenbosch this year. ... Has captured 10 doubles titles and one singles crown in minor leagues. ... Four-time Colonial Athletic Association Women's Tennis Player of the Year at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
   Sam Querrey, 25, Las Vegas. ... Third WTT season (second with Capitals). ... Top-ranked American at No. 19 in world, down two spots from career high in 2011. ... Has won seven singles and four doubles titles in career. ...  Reached fourth round of U.S. Open in 2008 and 2010 and at Wimbledon in 2010 for best Grand Slam singles results. ... Member of U.S. Davis Cup team in 2008 and 2010. ... Gashed right (playing) arm in 2009 when glass table he was sitting on at Bangkok tournament collapsed. Narrowly missed damaging nerves, which could have ended career. ... Sidelined for three months after right elbow surgery in 2011.
   Ryan Sweeting, 25, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ... Second WTT season (both with Capitals). Suffered back spasms in WTT debut last year and missed only other scheduled match for Sacramento. ... Has plunged from career-high No. 64 in 2011 to No. 293. ... Won his only ATP World Tour title on clay in Houston in 2011. ... Won 2005 U.S. Open junior title and reached No. 2 in world in juniors that year. ... Bahamas native became U.S. citizen in 2006 and attended University of Florida for one year before turning pro in 2007.

   Taylor Townsend, 17, Boca Raton, Fla.... First WTT season. ... Often compared to Serena Williams because she's stocky African-American but plays more like Martina Navratilova. Both are left-handed with strong volley. ... Became first American in 30 years to top world junior rankings in 2012. ... Won junior titles in 2012 Australian Open singles and doubles, Wimbledon doubles and U.S. Open doubles. ... Became first American to sweep the junior girls crowns in a Grand Slam event since Lindsay Davenport in 1992 U.S. Open. ... Made WTA main-draw debut at 16 in March, beating No. 57 Lucie Hradecka. ... Reach third round of women's doubles in 2011 U.S. Open at 15 with Jessica Pegula.
   Wayne Bryan, coach, Camarillo, Calif. ... Thirteenth WTT season (12^th with Capitals). ... Longest-tenured coach in the league. … Three-time WTT Coach of the Year (2004-06). … Has led Capitals to two of their record six league titles (2002 and 2007). … Father of identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, who have won record 14 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. … Tennis’ unofficial ambassador. … Non-practicing attorney. … Author of 2004 book “Raising Your Child to be a Champion in Athletics, Arts and Academics.” … Front man for Bryan Bros. Band.

OTHER TEAMS

Western Conference

   Orange County – Maria Elena Camerin, Treat Huey, Steve Johnson, CoCo Vandeweghe, Liga Dekmeijere. Coach: Trevor Kronemann.

   Springfield (Mo.) Lasers – Andy Roddick, Rik de Voest, Vania King, Alisa Kleybanova, Jean-Julien Rojer. Coach: John Laffnie de Jager.
   Texas Wild – Bob and Mike Bryan, Jim Courier, Alex Bogomolov Jr., Eugenie Bouchard, Darija Jurak, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. Coach: Brent Haygarth.

Eastern Conference

   Boston Lobsters – Mark Philippoussis, Eric Butorac, Jill Craybas, Katalin Marosi, Amir Weintraub. Coach: Bud Schultz.

   New York Sportimes – John McEnroe, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Kveta Peschke, Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten, Abigail Spears. Coach: Claude Okin.

   Philadelphia Freedoms – Sloane Stephens, Samuel Groth, Liezel Huber, Jordan Kerr, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sanchez. Coach: Josh Cohen.

   Washington Kastles – Martina Hingis (2012 WTT Female MVP), Kevin Anderson, Anastasia Rodionova, Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds (2012 WTT Male MVP). Coach: Murphy Jensen (2012 WTT Coach of the Year).

Bryans seek first French Open crown in 10 years

   Ten years ago at the French Open, Bob and Mike Bryan won the first of their record 13 Grand Slam men's doubles titles.
   The 35-year-old identical twins and former NCAA doubles champions from Stanford are still looking for their second French Open title and might have a good shot this year. Not only are the Bryans hot, many of their top rivals have been eliminated.
   The top-ranked Bryans reached the third round on clay in Paris on Saturday, beating Eric Butorac and Jack Sock 7-5, 7-6 (2) in an all-American matchup.
   The Bryans will meet the winner of today's encounter between 13th-seeded Julien Benneteau of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and unseeded Christopher Kas of Germany and Oliver Marach of Austria.
   Already ousted are No. 3 seeds Robert Lindstedt and Daniel Nestor, No. 4 Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna and No. 5 Max Mirnyi and Horia Tecau. No. 2 Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, both of Spain, are scheduled to play their second-round match today.
   The Bryans probably shed no tears when Mirnyi was eliminated. The twins have lost in the French Open final three times, and the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) "Beast of Belarus" played on the winning team each time. Mirnyi teamed with since-retired Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden in 2005 and 2006, and with Nestor last year.
   The Bryans are having one of their best seasons with six titles, including the Australian Open for the sixth time, Indian Wells for the first time in their native Southern California, and Madrid and Rome on the European clay-court circuit. The most titles they have won in a season is 11, in 2007 and 2010. The Bryans have captured 88 overall.
   World TeamTennis -- The Sacramento Capitals announced that individual tickets for 2013 home matches are available by visiting www.saccaps.com, e-mailing tickets@saccaps.com or calling (916) 304-5722.
   Sacramento -- coached by the Bryans' father, Wayne -- opens the season with five matches at Capitals Stadium at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights on July 7, 8, 10, 12 and 13. Mardy Fish is scheduled to play the last three of those matches, although the former top-10 player withdrew from the French Open with ongoing heart problems.
   The Capitals also will host the Texas Wild, featuring Bob and Mike Bryan, on July 17 and end the regular season at home on July 22 in 20th-ranked Sam Querrey's only appearance at Sunrise Mall this season. In addition, Querrey is scheduled to play three road matches at the end of the season.
   All home matches will be at 7:35 p.m.
   Mark Knowles, 41, will return for his 12th season with Sacramento. He has been ranked No. 1 in the world in men's doubles and won three WTT Male MVP awards (2001, 2005 and 2007).
   Also playing for Sacramento will be:
   --Ryan Sweeting, the 2005 U.S. Open boys singles champion.
   --Seventeen-year-old Taylor Townsend, who last year became the first American girl to hold the year-end No. 1 junior ranking since Gretchen Rush in 1982.
   --Megan Moulton-Levy, a 5-foot (1.52-meter) American ranked a career-high No. 62 in women's doubles.
   Townsend and Moulton-Levy will make their WTT debuts.
   Ticket prices are $25 to $70, with discounts for children. Season tickets and five-match packages are available for $112 to $392.

Capitals draft 16-year-old prodigy

   The future of U.S. women's tennis is coming to Sacramento.
   The Capitals selected Taylor Townsend, 16, of Stockbridge, Ga., in the second round of Tuesday's World TeamTennis roster draft.
   Townsend, a sturdy 5-foot-6 African-American, has been compared to Serena Williams. But as an aggressive left-hander, she plays more like her idol, Martina Navratilova.
   Last year, Townsend swept the girls singles and doubles titles in the Australian Open, added the girls doubles crowns at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and ended the year as the No. 1 junior in the world.
   She became the first American to sweep the girls crowns in a Grand Slam event since Lindsay Davenport in the 1992 U.S. Open and the first U.S. girl to hold the No. 1 year-end world ranking since Gretchen Rush in 1982.
   Townsend debuted on the elite WTA tour last week as a wild card in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. She beat No. 57 Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic before losing to former world No. 1 and 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic.  
   “Many tennis insiders think Taylor has potential to be the next great American women’s
player," Capitals coach Wayne Bryan said in a statement, although 18-year-olds Madison Keys and Samantha Crawford are also in the conversation. "She is good on the singles and doubles court and is very talented with a great personality.”

Mark Knowles, 41, will return for his 12th season with
the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sacramento also protected Mark Knowles of the Bahamas in the first round, picked American doubles specialist Megan Moulton-Levy in the third round and took Ryan Sweeting of the United States in the fourth and final round.
   Knowles, 41, retired from the ATP World Tour after last year's U.S. Open. But the three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007) will return for his 12th season in the league, all with Sacramento.
   Moulton-Levy, only 5-foot (1.52 meters) and 135 pounds (61 kilograms), is ranked No. 74 in the world in doubles. Sweeting, the 2005 U.S. Open boys champion, played one match for the Capitals last season but suffered back spasms and missed his other scheduled match.
   Mardy Fish and San Francisco native Sam Querrey are set to return as Sacramento's marquee players. Fish, who reached No. 7 in the world in 2011, is scheduled to play three of the Capitals' 14 regular-season matches, and the 23rd-ranked Querrey plans to play four.
   Missing from the roster after playing for Sacramento last year are 2012 part-timers Kevin Anderson, CoCo Vandeweghe and Vania King and full-timers Asia Muhammad and Yasmin Schnack.
   Anderson, a 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) right-hander, underwent right elbow surgery in January after climbing to No. 28 one year ago. He and Muhammad are not scheduled to play team tennis this season.
   The 99th-ranked Vandeweghe, who lives in the San Diego area, was a roster-exempt selection by Orange County. King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield (Mo.), went back to the Lasers in the roster-exempt draft after three seasons in Sacramento. Schnack, a 24-year-old doubles specialist, retired from professional tennis in November.
   Sacramento has won a record six WTT titles but none since 2007. The Capitals squeaked into the playoffs last season with an 8-6 mark and advanced to the WTT Finals, falling to the defending champion Washington Kastles 20-19 in Charleston, S.C. Washington has won 32 consecutive matches. 
   In the 2012 regular season, Sacramento finished third among eight teams in men's singles, fifth in women's singles, fourth in men's doubles, seventh in women's doubles and fourth in mixed doubles.
   The Capitals open the 2013 season on July 7 against the Texas Wild at Sunrise Mall in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights.   
   Alisa Kleybanova, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in May 2011, was drafted first overall by Springfield. Kleybanova, a 23-year-old Russian, ascended to No. 20 in the world in singles and No. 10 in doubles in February 2011.
   Washington acquired Martina Hingis from the New York Sportimes for financial considerations. Hingis, 32, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July.
   BNP Paribas Open -- Querrey advanced to the fourth round at Indian Wells, ensuring that he will become the No. 1 American man and that the United States won't be shut out of the top 20 in the men's world rankings for the first time.
   Querrey, seeded and ranked 23rd, outlasted Marinko Matosevic of Australia 7-6 (5), 6-7 (7), 7-5 in the longest match of the tournament at 2 hours, 47 minutes.
   Querrey will return to the top 20 after reaching a career-high No. 17 in January 2011. The 6-foot-6 right-hander missed three months after undergoing right elbow surgery on June 16 that year and dropped to No. 125. He will replace John Isner as the top American.
    "It means a lot. It's a great feeling," Querrey, 25, said on www.bnpparibasopen.com. "I feel like I have worked hard to earn it. Everyone seems like they've got their shot with Andy (Roddick) and Mardy and James (Blake) and John, and so I feel like it's my turn now."
   Querrey will meet world No. 1 and two-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. PDT or later (Tennis Channel). Djokovic improved to 15-0 this year with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory over 31st-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.
   Querrey is the last player to beat Djokovic, prevailing 0-6 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the second round of the Paris Masters last October. After the match, Djokovic told reporters: "It's unfortunate, but on the brighter side, I have a little bit more time to rest because I had really difficult period in the last couple of weeks. Some things happened and a lot of things on my mind."
   Djokovic, who's 4-1 against Querrey, seeks his third title of the year after winning the Australian Open and at Dubai.
   Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated the 32nd-seeded Fish 7-6 (4), 7-6 (0) in the third round. Fish, who returned to the circuit at Indian Wells after missing six months because of heart palpitations, led 4-0 in the second set and was broken at love serving for the set at 5-4.
   "I felt like I could have easily won the match," Fish said on www.bnpparibasopen.com. "Bunch of break points obviously in the first set, and the second set was what it was. Tennis wise, it's a good sign that it hasn't taken too long to get the form back. I usually don't lose 4-0 sets.  I can't remember the last one. Maybe just not being in that position I'm sure had something to do with it."

   Fish remains alive in doubles with Blake. The wild cards are scheduled to face Treat Huey, a Washington, D.C., native who plays for the Philippines, and Jerzy Janowicz of Poland on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. 
   Fish won the 2009 doubles title at Indian Wells with his close friend Andy Roddick.

COLLEGE SCORE

Men

   Sacramento State def. Montana State 7-0 in Sacramento. No. 1 singles: Marek Marksoo (SS) def. Niklas Brandes 6-1, 6-2. Records: Sac State 5-9 overall, 2-0 Big Sky Conference; Montana State 9-7, 5-1.

Sad but memorable year: Top 10 stories of 2012

Milos Raonic of Canada serves to Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the 2012
SAP Open final in San Jose. Raonic won his second straight title in the
tournament, which will be held for the 125th and last time in 2013.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   It was a bittersweet year in Northern California tennis. 
   Officials announced that the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States will leave after 2013, and a legend died at 76. But two former Stanford All-Americans, who happen to be twins, tied an all-time record and won an Olympic gold medal.
   Following are the top 10 stories of 2012, plus five honorable mentions:
   1. Bay Area to lose SAP Open — Northern California fans suffered a crushing blow when it was announced that next February's SAP Open will be the last after 125 years.
   Rio de Janeiro, the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics and a co-host of the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament, will replace San Jose on the ATP World Tour calendar beginning in 2014.
   Past champions include legends Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Rod Laver, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. But the tournament has struggled to attract top players and big crowds in recent years.
   2. Bryans tie Newcombe-Roche — Bob and Mike Bryan won the U.S. Open for their 12th Grand Slam men's doubles title, tying the all-time record of Australians John Newcombe and Tony Roche.
   The 34-year-old sons of longtime Sacramento Capitals coach Wayne Bryan have won five Australian Opens, four U.S. Opens, two Wimbledons and one French Open. And they easily could play another five years.
   3. Bryans win Olympic gold — The Bryans earned their first Olympic gold medal, the only significant men's doubles honor to have eluded them, in London. They took the bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Games.
   4. MacKay dies — Barry MacKay, a Northern California legend, died in San Francisco after a long illness.
   MacKay left an indelible mark as a player, tournament director, promoter and commentator. Nicknamed "The Bear," he was among the friendliest and best-liked members of the tennis community.

Top-seeded Serena Williams won the Bank of the West Classic
at Stanford for the second year in a row. Photo by Paul Bauman

   5. Serena repeats — Top-seeded Serena Williams saved a set point and beat lucky loser CoCo Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-3 to win the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford for the second straight year.
   It was the first all-American final on the WTA tour in the United States since Lindsay Davenport routed Williams 6-1, 6-3 in Los Angeles eight years ago.
   6. Raonic repeats — Dropping only four points on his serve, third-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada wore down unseeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 7-6 (3), 6-2 in San Jose for his second consecutive SAP Open title.
   The 6-foot-5 Raonic won 28 of 31 points, including 17 straight, on his serve in the first set and 16 of 17 in the second set. He never surrendered more than one point in a service game.
   7. Ex-Capitals among top 100 players ever — Tennis Channel's list of the top 100 players of all time included three ex-Capitals: No. 12 Agassi, No. 43 Lindsay Davenport and No. 100 Michael Chang.
   The top 10 in the rankings, chosen by an international panel of experts, were Roger Federer, Laver, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, Margaret Court, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King.

Mark Knowles, right, of the Bahamas won the 55th and last ATP World Tour
doubles title of his career with Xavier Malisse, left, of Belgium in the SAP Open.
Knowles was 40 at the time. Photo by Paul Bauman

   8. Knowles retires — The longtime Capital retired from the ATP World Tour just before his 41st birthday with 55 men's doubles titles, fourth among active players and tied for 15th in the Open Era (since 1968).
   The Bahamas native won three Grand Slam crowns in men's doubles and one in mixed doubles. He reached No. 1 in the world in men's doubles in 2002 and 2004.
   9. Gibbs sweeps NCAA titles — Stanford sophomore Nicole Gibbs became the first woman to sweep the NCAA singles and doubles titles in 17 years and the first Cardinal woman to do it in 27 years.

Stanford's Nicole Gibbs, losing to Serena Williams in the second
round of the Bank of the West Classic on Gibbs' home court,
became the first woman in 17 years to sweep the NCAA singles
and doubles crowns. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Gibbs, seeded third, outlasted doubles partner Mallory Burdette, seeded fifth, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in Athens, Ga., after trailing 4-1 and 5-2 in the second set. Then, in a match moved indoors because of rain, second-seeded Burdette and Gibbs defeated unseeded Nadja Gilchrist and Chelsey Gullickson of host Georgia 6-2, 6-4.
   10. McDonald wins Easter Bowl — After sitting out for eight months last year with a blood disorder, Mackenzie McDonald of Piedmont won the boys 18 singles title at the prestigious Easter Bowl in the Palm Springs suburb of Rancho Mirage.

   McDonald, seeded third, beat No. 4 Alexios Halebian of Glendale in the Los Angeles area 6-4, 6-1 for his second singles title in the tournament. He also won the singles title in the 14s three years ago. McDonald will be a freshman at UCLA next fall.
   Honorable mention — The Capitals came within a tiebreaker of extending their record to seven World TeamTennis titles as Venus Williams edged Vandeweghe 5-4, giving the Washington Kastles a 20-19 victory in Charleston, S.C. It was Washington's 32nd consecutive triumph, the fourth-longest streak in the history of U.S. team sports. ...
   Mardy Fish, a former top-10 player, was plagued throughout the year by an accelerated heartbeat but reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and played two matches for the Capitals. ... 
   Raquel Kops-Jones, a San Jose resident and former NCAA doubles champion from Cal, climbed to a career-high No. 13 in women's doubles. ...  
   Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native and part-time Capital this year, defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters. ...  
   Maria Sanchez of Modesto won the inaugural Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area.  

Loaded on men's side, Capitals to open season

No. 13-ranked Mardy Fish, left,  is scheduled to play home
matches for the Sacramento Capitals on Thursday and Friday.
Fish is shown with friend and doubles partner Andy Roddick
at Indian Wells in March. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Losing a player usually hurts a team.
   Not so with Jean-Julien Rojer.
   Although Rojer has some impressive credentials, it turned out to be a lucky break for the Sacramento Capitals when he withdrew from World TeamTennis in May.
   The 30-year-old veteran from the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean Sea is ranked 20th in the world in men's doubles after reaching a career-high No. 17 last August. Since the beginning of May, Rojer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan have won two titles on the ATP World Tour (on clay and grass) and reached the French Open semifinals.
   Also, Rojer was named the WTT Male Rookie of the Year last year after helping the St. Louis Aces edge the Capitals 20-19 in the Western Conference finals. St. Louis, which folded during the offseason, then lost to the undefeated Washington Kastles in the WTT Finals.
   Indeed, Rojer and 40-year-old Mark Knowles, both ex-UCLA stars, would have formed an excellent pair for Sacramento. Knowles was ranked No. 1 in men's doubles at various times from 2002 to 2005 and won the SAP Open in San Jose in February with Xavier Malisse.
   But the Capitals, who open their 27th season today at Boston, drafted Rojer in the second round in March to play singles in addition to doubles. Rojer, who hasn't played singles regularly since 2006, ultimately balked.
   Rojer's defection, though, allowed Sacramento to sign the towering trio of 6-foot-8 Kevin Anderson, 6-6 Sam Querrey and 6-5 Ryan Sweeting to split men's singles and doubles duties with marquee player Mardy Fish.
   All four players have won singles titles on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's tennis. All but Sweeting have been ranked in the top 30 in the world in singles and are accomplished doubles players.
   Sweeting climbed to a career-high No. 64 in singles last year and won the 2005 U.S. Open boys singles title. However, he is 0-5 in doubles on the ATP circuit this year and 7-26 in his career.
   "We're much stronger and happier with our new (men's) lineup," conceded Ramey Osborne, who returned as a Capitals co-owner last winter after 12-year hiatus. " ... It worked out to be a blessing."
   Except for the expense, which Osborne admitted is a "huge" concern.
   "Our salaries are doubled over last year," he said, adding that league rules prohibit him from elaborating.
   Still, Osborne didn't hesitate to sign the 13th-ranked Fish for two matches (Thursday and Friday at 7:35 p.m. at Sunrise Mall), Querrey for five, Anderson for four and Sweeting for three.
   "We wanted to put the best product we could out there," Osborne said.
   Osborne, who will turn 74 on July 20, and Deepal Wannakuwatte bought the team from Bob Cook, a local real estate developer who filed for personal bankruptcy last August. During Osborne's first stint (1988-99), the Capitals won the first three of their record six WTT championships. The team's last title came in 2007 on its home court.   Sacramento finished 8-6 in the 2011 regular season after going 6-8 and missing the playoffs in each of the two previous years. The Capitals' only other losing season, in which they also finished 6-8, came in 1991.
   Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP and Fish's coach, will return for his 11th season with the Capitals.
   So will coach Wayne Bryan, the father of doubles stars Bob and Mike Bryan.
   "I have a tremendous amount of respect for (Wayne Bryan), more so than before," Osborne said. "I didn't realize how much time and effort he puts into tennis and the Capitals."
   Sacramento's women are not as strong as its men, which could be especially damaging. It's more difficult for men to break serve and create gaps in the scoring against each other because of their greater power and the abbreviated format in team tennis (no-ad scoring, sets up to five games and tiebreakers at 4-4 in sets).
   Five-foot-10 Yasmin Schnack, a former UCLA All-American ranked No. 145 in doubles and No. 455 in singles, will come back after a solid rookie season with her hometown Capitals. Asia Muhammad, ranked No. 187 in doubles and No. 480 in singles, will play her first full season in WTT after serving as a substitute for Philadelphia in 2009.
   Muhammad and Schnack won the doubles title in the $50,000 USTA Gold River Women's Challenger last month at the Gold River Racquet Club, the Capitals' home during Osborne's first tenure as a co-owner.
   CoCo Vandeweghe, the 20-year-old niece of former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe, will join the Capitals for their last five regular-season matches and, if they qualify, for the Sept. 14-16 playoffs. Vandeweghe, 6-foot-1, played for Sacramento as a WTT rookie in 2009 and for Boston the past two seasons. She is ranked No. 120 in singles after climbing to a career-high No. 89 in April 2011.
   Half of Sacramento's regular roster in 2011, Vania King and Dusan Vemic, did not return after two years with the team. King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield (Mo.), tried to make the U.S. Olympic team but fell short and will play on the regular tour instead. The Capitals chose not to bring back the flashy but inconsistent Vemic, who turned 36 last month.
   Visiting marquee players will be ex-Capital Lindsay Davenport, formerly ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles, of the Orange County Breakers on July 24 and two-time Grand Slam singles runner-up Mark Philippoussis of Philadelphia on July 27.
   Federer regains top ranking -- Roger Federer returned to No. 1 in the world Monday for the first time in two years after winning his record-tying seventh Wimbledon singles title.
   Federer, who had been No. 3, defeated Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday to tie the mark held by William Renshaw of the late 1800s and Pete Sampras. Federer also tied Sampras' record of 286 weeks at No. 1.
   At 30 years and 335 days, Federer is the second-oldest man to hold the No. 1 ranking. Andre Agassi was 33 years and 131 days old when he returned to the top in June 2003.
   Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal each dropped one spot to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
   Wimbledon -- Second-seeded Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond of the United States won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title Sunday, defeating fourth-seeded Leander Paes of India and Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
   It was the third Grand Slam mixed doubles title for Bryan, who won the 1998 NCAA men's doubles crown as a Stanford sophomore with twin brother Bob, and Raymond. They won the 2002 U.S. Open and 2003 French Open.
   Paes and Vesnina also lost in the Australian Open final, falling to Horia Tecau of Romania and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix. Paes has won six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, the last one coming two years ago at Wimbledon with Cara Black of Zimbabwe. 
   Bank of the West Classic at Stanford -- Wild card Jana Juricova, making her professional debut after finishing her eligibility at Cal, upset fourth-seeded Alexa Glatch of Newport Beach 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 Sunday to advance to the main draw of the Bank of the West Classic.
   Juricova, who won the 2011 NCAA singles title at Stanford and the 2009 NCAA doubles crown with Mari Andersson, will meet eighth-seeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand on Tuesday in the first round.
   Erakovic reached the Bank of the West quarterfinals as a qualifier last year, stunning top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the second round. Azarenka proceeded to win the Australian Open in January for her first Grand Slam title 
   Vandeweghe, seeded second in qualifying, lost to fifth-seeded Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the last round but advanced to the main draw when Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia withdrew with an undisclosed injury. Vandeweghe will face unseeded Melinda Czink of Hungary in tonight's second match.
   Among Saturday's first-round losers in qualifying were Raquel Kops-Jones, the 2003 NCAA doubles champion with Cal teammate and Sacramento native Christina Fusano, and current Stanford players Kristie Ahn and Ellen Tsay.
  Women's Challenger in Denver -- Qualifier Nicole Gibbs, who swept the NCAA singles and doubles titles in May as a Stanford sophomore, subdued unseeded Julie Coin of France 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to win the $50,000 Colorado International.
   It was the 19-year-old Gibbs' first Challenger singles crown. She won the singles championship at a $10,000 tournament in Mexico City at 14 in 2007 and the doubles title at a $50,000 event in Raleigh, N.C., in 2010 with Ahn.
   Gibbs, a wild card in the Bank of the West Classic, will play Lertcheewakarn, the 2009 Wimbledon girls champion, on Tuesday for the right to play top seed and defending champion Serena Williams late Wednesday afternoon. Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon singles title Saturday, received a first-round bye. 
   Men's Challenger in Winnetka, Ill. -- Unseeded Americans Devin Britton and Jeff Dadamo, the singles finalists in last month's Sacramento Challenger, beat top-seeded Australians John Peers and John-Patrick Smith 1-6, 6-2, 10-6 tiebreak to capture the doubles title of the $50,000 Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships.
   Britton, the 2009 NCAA singles champion as a freshman at Mississippi, saved two match points to beat Dadamo, who won last year's NCAA doubles crown as a senior at Texas A&M, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2 at the Park Terrace Swim & Tennis Club.
   Smith, a qualifier who recently completed his eligibility after an All-America career at Tennessee, won his first Challenger singles title. He saved two match points to nip seventh-seeded Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) for his third victory over a top-200 player in the tournament. 
  Trivia time -- Not only have the last two NCAA women's champions in singles come from Stanford or Cal, so have the last four in doubles.
   Since Andersson and Juricova triumphed in 2009, Stanford teams have prevailed: Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette in 2010, Barte and Mallory Burdette in 2011, and Mallory Burdette and Gibbs this year.

CALENDAR 

   Today -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, first round, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals' season opener at Boston, 4 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   West Coast Junior Championships, quarterfinals and semifinals, Rio del Oro Racquet Club, 119 Scripps Dr., Sacramento, www.norcal.usta.com.
   Tuesday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, first round, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. http://www.saccaps.com/.
   West Coast Junior Championships, finals, Rio del Oro Racquet Club, 119 Scripps Dr., Sacramento, www.norcal.usta.com.
   Wednesday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, second round, 11 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. Exhibition match, Pete Sampras vs. Michael Chang, 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com. 
   Thursday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, second round, 11 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. Exhibition match, Sampras vs. Jim Courier, 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
    2012 Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony (Nick Saviano, Andrea Norman, Steve Cornell and Martha Downing), Stanford, Pac 12 Plaza/Cardinal Plaza, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., tickets $75 each at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=230538. 
   Capitals' home opener (with Mardy Fish) vs. Kansas City, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.
   Friday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, quarterfinals, noon and 7 p.m. Exhibition match, Chang vs. Courier, not before 8 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals (with Fish) vs. Orange County, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, semifinals, 1 and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   July 16 -- Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 18 -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   July 19 -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   July 20 -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Something's Bruin as Capitals pick another UCLA alum

   When the Sacramento Capitals open their World TeamTennis season on July 9, the roster will look like a meeting of the UCLA alumni association.
   The Capitals added yet another former Bruin when they selected Jean-Julien Rojer, the 2011 WTT Male Rookie of the Year for St. Louis, in the second round of Tuesday's WTT roster player draft.
   Ironically, Rojer and Liezel Huber won the fifth set to give St. Louis a 20-19 victory over Sacramento in last season's Western Conference finals. The Aces then lost to Washington in the WTT Finals and folded in the offseason. 
   Sacramento, picking seventh in the eight-team draft, protected ex-UCLA stars Mark Knowles in the first round and local resident Yasmin Schnack in the fourth and final round.
   The Capitals also picked 20-year-olds Asia Muhammad of Las Vegas in the third round and CoCo Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area as a supplemental, part-time player.
   "Based on (picking seventh), I think we did really well," Capitals co-owner Ramey Osborne said. " ... We didn't think Rojer would be available."
   Vandeweghe, a former Capital and the 6-foot-1 niece of former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe, will play at least four or five of Sacramento's 14 regular-season matches, Osborne said.
   Mardy Fish, chosen by the Capitals in last month's marquee player draft, is scheduled to play home matches on July 12 and 13. Fish, a 30-year-old Los Angeles resident, leads all American men and women at No. 8 in the world but has started slowly this year. 
   Vania King and Dusan Vemic, who have played key roles for the Capitals in the past two seasons, were  bypassed in the draft.
   King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield (Mo.), still could play some matches for Sacramento if she does not make the U.S. Olympic team, which will be based on the June 11 rankings. Osborne said last week, though, that he was not interested in bringing back the entertaining but erratic Vemic, a 35-year-old Serbian.
   Knowles, 40, and Rojer, 30, have more in common than UCLA. Both are doubles specialists from Caribbean nations. Knowles is from the Bahamas, near Miami, and Rojer from Netherlands Antilles, off the coast of Venezuela.
   Knowles will return for his 11th WTT season, all with Sacramento. Ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles in 2002 and 2004, he has won four Grand Slam titles (three in men's doubles and one in mixed doubles), 55 overall and three WTT Male MVP awards (2001, 2005 and 2007). Knowles has dropped to No. 61 but last month won the doubles crown in San Jose with Xavier Malisse.
   Rojer is ranked 38th, down from a career-high 17th last August. He has won five ATP doubles titles, all with former Capital Eric Butorac since October 2010, and reached the semifinals of last year's Australian Open with Butorac.
   The addition of Rojer addresses Sacramento's biggest weakness last year. The Capitals finished fourth or better in every category except men's doubles, in which they placed eighth. That was baffling, given Knowles' background and Vemic's appearances in two Grand Slam doubles semifinals.
   "We're very happy about men's doubles," Osborne said. "We're not done. We have a couple ideas we're working on. ... We're working on a possible trade for a singles player."
   If necessary, Rojer could play singles. He earned All-American honors in singles and doubles at UCLA and played singles regularly on the pro tour until 2008.
   Schnack, 23, played well as a WTT rookie last year. She helped Sacramento finish second in women's doubles and went 16-15 (.516) in singles games filling in for King, who missed the first week of the season to rest after Wimbledon.
   Muhammad, who will make her WTT debut, is ranked 186th in doubles and 387th in singles. She has won four minor-league doubles titles, including three last year. In 2009, Muhammad won the USTA girls 18 national doubles crown in Berkeley with Christina McHale, now the second-ranked American in singles at No. 35 in the world.
   Vandeweghe, the 2008 U.S. Open junior girls champion, played for the Capitals as a WTT rookie in 2009 and for Boston the past two seasons. As a qualifier in her hometown of San Diego in 2010, she beat Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva en route to the quarterfinals. Vandeweghe is ranked No. 159 in singles after reaching a career-high No. 89 last April.
   The Capitals have won a record six WTT titles but none since 2007.
   Maria Sanchez, a Modesto resident who led the league in women's doubles last year for St. Louis, went to Springfield in the second round. She plays doubles with Schnack on the regular circuit.
   Defending champion Washington, which last season became the first team in the WTT's 36-year history to go 16-0, returns largely intact. Former Capital Anastasia Rodionova joins her sister Arina and replaces Rennae Stubbs, the 2008 WTT Female MVP who turns 41 on March 26.
   See the full WTT draft and team rosters below.
   BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells -- In a matchup of former No. 1 players and Indian Wells champions, 15th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia defeated fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open. Wozniacki won the tournament last year and Ivanovic in 2008.
   Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus improved to 20-0 this year with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 14 seed Julia Goerges of Germany.
   The last two American women lost in the fourth round. Eighteenth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany rallied from match points down against a U.S. teenager for the second straight round to beat No. 32 Christina McHale 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4). Also, wild card Jamie Hampton retired because of cramps with No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska leading 6-3, 4-6, 3-0.
   Kerber, a U.S. Open semifinalist last year, survived three match points against the 19-year-old McHale, who had upset No. 3 seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the third round. Kerber had rallied from 6-2, 5-1 and two match points down to stun 18-year-old Sloane Stephens 26, 75, 64 in the previous round.
   France's Marion Bartoli, the No. 7 seed and last year's runner-up, dismissed 23rd-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-1. Bartoli won the 2009 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford and also reached the final there in 2011 and 2008.
   On the men's side, third-seeded Roger Federer extended his winning streak to 11 matches, but fifth-seeded David Ferrer's ended at 11.
   Federer, a three-time champion at Indian Wells (2004-06), outlasted 27th-seeded Milos Raonic, the two-time reigning SAP Open champion in San Jose, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in the third round. It was their first career meeting. Unseeded Denis Istomin, the runner-up in last month's SAP Open, ousted Ferrer 6-4, 6-3 for his first career victory over a top-10 player in 11 attempts.
   In the second round of men's doubles, unseeded John Isner and Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, edged fourth-seeded Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau, the runners-up at Wimbledon for the past two years, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 tiebreak.

2012 WTT Roster Player Draft

Roster Exempt Draft Selections (Roster Exempt players play a limited season)

Sacramento Capitals:  Coco Vandeweghe

2012 WTT Roster Draft - March 13, 2012

Round One 

1.  PHILADELPHIA:  Karolina Pliskova

2.  SPRINGFIELD:  Timea Babos

3.  ORANGE COUNTY:  Anna-lena Groenefeld

4.  NEW YORK:  Robert Kendrick (protection)

5.  KANSAS CITY:  Chanel Simmonds

6.  BOSTON:  Jan-Michael Gambill (protection)

7.  SACRAMENTO:  Mark Knowles (protection)

8.  WASHINGTON:  Arina Rodionova (protection)

Round Two 

1.  PHILADELPHIA:  Kristyna Pliskova

2.  SPRINGFIELD:  Maria Sanchez

3.  ORANGE COUNTY:  John-Patrick Smith

4.  NEW YORK:  Jesse Witten (protection)

5.  KANSAS CITY:  Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi

6.  BOSTON:  Eric Butorac (protection)

7.  SACRAMENTO:  Jean-Julien Rojer

8.  WASHINGTON:  Leander Paes (protection)

Round Three   

1.  PHILADELPHIA:  Luka Gregorc

2.  SPRINGFIELD:  Amir Weintraub

3.  ORANGE COUNTY:  Travis Parrott

4.  NEW YORK:  Ashley Harkleroad (protection)

5.  KANSAS CITY:  Nick Monroe

6.  BOSTON:  Irina Falconi (protection)

7.  SACRAMENTO:  Asia Muhammed

8.  WASHINGTON:  Bobby Reynolds (protection)

Round Four 

1.  PHILADELPHIA:  Jordan Kerr

2.  SPRINGFIELD:  Devin Britton

3.  ORANGE COUNTY:  PASS

4.  NEW YORK:  PASS

5.  KANSAS CITY:  Tetiana Luzhanska

6.  BOSTON:  Carly Gullickson

7.  SACRAMENTO:  Yasmin Schnack (protection)

8.  WASHINGTON:  Anastasia Rodionova (doubles protection)  

2012 WTT TEAM ROSTERS (including Marquee & Roster players):

Boston Lobsters:  John Isner, Jan-Michael Gambill, Eric Butorac, Irina Falconi and Carly Gullickson.  Coach: Bud Schultz

Kansas City Explorers:  Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Chanel Simmonds, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, Nick Monroe, Tetiana Luzhanska.  Coach: Brent Haygarth

New York Sportimes:  John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten, Ashley Harkleroad.   Coach: Chuck Adams

Orange County Breakers:  Lindsay Davenport, Anna-lena Groenefeld, John-Patrick Smith, Travis Parrott.  Coach:  Trevor Kronemann

Philadelphia Freedoms:   James Blake, Mark Philippoussis, Karolina Pliskova, Kristyna Pliskova, Luka Gregorc, Jordan Kerr.  Coach:  Josh Cohen

Sacramento Capitals:  Mardy Fish, Coco Vandeweghe, Mark Knowles, Jean-Julien Rojer, Asia Muhammed, Yasmin Schnack.  Coach: Wayne Bryan

Springfield Lasers:  Timea Babos, Maria Sanchez, Amir Weintraub, Devin Britton.    Coach:  John-Laffnie de Jager

Washington Kastles:  Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Arina Rodionova, Anastasia Rodionova, Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds. Coach: Murphy Jensen