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.

Bryans win eighth title of year; junior sectional finals

   At 35, Bob and Mike Bryan are having the best year of their careers.
   That's saying something for arguably the greatest men's doubles team in history.
   The top-ranked Bryans won their eighth title of the year and 90th overall today, nipping fourth-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil 4-6, 7-5, 10-3 match tiebreaker in the Aegon Championships in London.
   The Bryans, former NCAA champions from Stanford, won their fifth title at The Queen's Club and improved to 4-0 against Peya and Soares this year.
   "Like they've been doing all year, Bruno and Alex played really solid tennis, and we had to hit some great shots at the end to get the win,” Bob Bryan said on atpworldtour.com. “It'll be nice to put the racquets down for a couple days and recharge the batteries for Wimbledon.
   “Special thanks to Chris Kermode and The Queen's Club for putting on another fantastic event. And happy Father's Day to our awesome dad back home in California. He is the reason we fell in love with this game so many years ago.”
   Wayne Bryan, 66, will begin his 12th season as the coach of the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis on July 7. The three-time WTT Coach of the Year (2004-06) and author of the 2004 book "Raising Your Child to be a Champion in Athletics, Arts and Academics" is scheduled to face his sons when the Capitals host the Texas Wild on July 17 at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   Bob and Mike Bryan, who grew up in Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, are threatening to shatter their career high of 11 titles in one year (2007 and 2010). They will take an 18-match winning streak to Wimbledon following titles in Madrid, Rome, the French Open and London. They are 44-6 overall this year.
   For the first time in their career, the Bryans are halfway to the Grand Slam. They have won a record 14 major titles in men's doubles, including two Wimbledon crowns (2006 and 2011). This year's tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis Club is scheduled for June 24 through July 7.

NORCAL 18s JUNIOR SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Sacramento State

Finals

   Boys singles -- William Griffith (2), Fresno, def. Logan Staggs (1), Tracy, 7-5, 6-4.
   Girls singles -- Sarah Hu (1), Oakland, def. Emily Zheng (7), Fremont, 6-4, 6-4.
   Boys doubles -- David Ball, Palo Alto, and Logan Staggs (4), Tracy, def. Corey Spang, Redwood City, and Eric Spence, Los Gatos, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. 
   Girls doubles -- Isabella Heidenreich, Napa, and Sarah Hu (2), Oakland, def. Hadley Berg, Greenbrae, and Emma Critser (1), Mountain View, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).  

Bryans break Grand Slam men's doubles record

   It was ironic, but not surprising, that the record came in Australia.
   Top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States dominated unseeded Dutchmen Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4 Saturday at the Australian Open in Melbourne for their 13th Grand Slam men's doubles title. That broke the mark of Australian legends John Newcombe and Tony Roche (1965-76).
   The Bryans, 34-year-old identical twins and former Stanford All-Americans, have won six men's doubles titles at the Australian Open, four at the U.S. Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the French Open. They were playing in their ninth Australian Open final in 10 years, and their crowns there have come in eight years.
   "To be a part of history is pretty special," Mike Bryan told reporters. "We weren't thinking about it much out there, but now that we have it, it's going to be fun to look back on our career and say we have the most Grand Slams."
   Meanwhile, the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis announced on Thursday that the Bryans' father, Wayne, will return for his 12th season as coach.
   "We like Wayne because he is a great promoter for the sport," Capitals general manager Kolleen McNamee said in a news release. "In addition to being an experienced and accomplished coach, he is able to do things that other coaches aren't able to bring to the table." 
   Bryan, who will turn 66 on Feb. 19, has been named the WTT Coach of the Year three times (2004-06) and has led Sacramento to two of its record six WTT titles (2002 and 2007). The Capitals fell just short of their seventh crown last September, losing 20-19 to the Washington Kastles in the WTT Finals in Charleston, S.C.
   "I still haven't gotten over that match," Bryan said in the release.
   The Capitals' schedule and roster for the 2013 season will be announced in early March. Bryan said there's a good chance that 22nd-ranked Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native who competed in six of Sacramento's 16 matches in his first season with the team last year, will play full-time.
   The coach also hopes that longtime Capital Mark Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007), will return. The 41-year-old Knowles, formerly No. 1 in the world in men's doubles, retired from the regular circuit last year.

Capitals edge St. Louis, take conference lead

   After starting 1-3, the Sacramento Capitals find themselves in first place in the Western Conference halfway through the World TeamTennis regular season.
   Sacramento beat host St. Louis 20-19 in a Supertiebreaker on Wednesday night for its third straight victory and wrested the conference lead from the Aces.
   Mark Knowles and Dusan Vemic won 5-1 in men's doubles, ending a four-set losing streak, to give the Capitals (4-3) a 13-9 lead at intermission. But St. Louis (4-4) won 5-3 in women's doubles and mixed doubles to tie the score 19-19 after regulation.
   Knowles and Vania King then beat Jean-Julien Rojer and Liezel Huber 7-2 in the Supertiebreaker.  
   Knowles, a 39-year-old Bahamian, and Huber, a 34-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from South Africa, formerly were ranked No. 1 in doubles. All but Rojer have won Wimbledon doubles titles.
   Huber and Rojer served for the match at 4-2 in the final set, but Knowles and King broke serve to give Sacramento a 19-18 overall lead. Huber and Rojer then held serve to force the Supertiebreaker.
    King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP as a member of the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers, was playing in her second match since joining the Capitals on Tuesday for her second season with the team. She rested the week after Wimbledon.
   St. Louis suffered a blow on the day of its season opener when reigning WTT Female MVP Lindsay Davenport, 35, announced she was pregnant with her third child and under doctor's orders to skip the season.
   Sacramento will face identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, the No. 1 doubles team in the world, and WTT defending champion Kansas City (3-4) for the second time in three days tonight in Kansas City, Mo.
   The Explorers will try to avenge a 23-12 loss Tuesday night to the host Capitals, coached by Wayne Bryan, Bob and Mike's father.

Capitals 20, St. Louis 19 (STB)
   Men’s singles – Roman Borvanov (Aces) def. Dusan Vemic (Capitals) 5-3.
   Women’s singles – Vania King (Capitals) def. Maria Sanchez (Aces) 5-3.
   Men’s doubles – Mark Knowles and Dusan Vemic (Capitals) def. Roman Borvanov and Jean-Julien Rojer (Aces) 5-1.
   Women’s doubles – Liezel Huber and Sanchez (Aces) def. King and Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-3.
   Mixed doubles – Rojer and Huber (Aces) def. Knowles and King (Capitals) 5-3.
   Supertiebreaker – Knowles and King (Capitals) def. Huber and Rojer (Aces) 1-0 (7-2).

King leads Capitals over Bryans, Kansas City

   In a matchup of players making their World TeamTennis season debuts, Vania King upstaged Bob and Mike Bryan on Tuesday night.
   King won all three of her sets as the Sacramento Capitals routed the Kansas City Explorers, featuring three reigning Wimbledon doubles champions, 23-12 before an announced sellout crowd of 2,500 at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP as a member of the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers, took the week after Wimbledon off while the Bryans increased their U.S. Davis Cup record to 17 men's doubles victories in a loss to Spain in Austin, Texas.
   After starting the season 1-3, Sacramento (3-3) can move into first place in the Western Conference with a victory tonight in St. Louis (4-3).
   The Bryans, the identical twin sons of Capitals coach Wayne Bryan and probably the greatest men's doubles team ever, took the opening set against Kansas City 5-3. But Sacramento won the last four sets by a combined score of 20-7 to rout the WTT defending champions.
   The Bryans recently won their second Wimbledon men's doubles title, giving them 11 in Grand Slam tournaments to tie the Open Era (since 1968) record of Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.
   Also playing for Kansas City was Kveta Peschke, who won the Wimbledon women's doubles crown with Katarina Srebotnik. But Jarmila Gajdosova, ranked 29th in the world in women's singles, did not return to WTT this season. Madison Brengle, ranked  No. 222, replaced her for Kansas City.
   King won 5-1 in mixed doubles with Mark Knowles, 5-1 in women's doubles with close friend and WTT rookie Yasmin Schnack and 5-3 in women's singles. King and Schnack have known each other since meeting at a tournament in Costa Rica when they were 11 and 12, respectively.
   Four Wimbledon champions graced the court in mixed doubles, the second set of the night, as King (2010 women's doubles) and Knowles (2009 mixed doubles) faced Peschke and Mike Bryan. Peschke, though, lost both of her sets 5-1.
   The Capitals' Dusan Vemic, playing against his former team, cut his double faults from five in men's doubles to two in men's singles. That helped him beat Ricardo Mello 5-2 to give Sacramento a 13-8 lead at intermission, and the Capitals' women took over from there.    
   When King was asked if she was surprised by the one-sided victory, she said: "Yes and no. We're always capable of it as a team. I have a lot of faith in Yasmin. I'm surprised we won the mixed doubles so easily, but Mark and I played really well. In women's doubles, (Brengle and Peschke) don't know each other as well as Yasmin and I."
   Wayne Bryan improved to 3-1 against his sons even though Bob and Mike have won in men's doubles each time. The twins said the meetings are harder on their father than on them.
   "We're just playing the ball and two guys on the other side of the net," Bob said. "Our dad is our biggest fan and supporter. He's never rooted against us in his life. He's rooting for a great serve out of me and a great return out of Mike. He's relieved when the match is over."
   Bob, who married Florida attorney Michelle Alvarez in December, said he and Mike, who remains single but has a longtime girlfriend, "are best friends. We do fight, but we have a loyal bond that's never going to break. Twins have that special connection other people can't understand unless they're twins."
   It also helps make them a great doubles team.
   "Communication is huge, knowing your partner," Mike said. "We've played thousands matches together since we were 6. We complement each other well. He's left-handed, and I'm right-handed. He has a big serve, and I have a pretty good return."
   The Bryans, 33, have no plans to retire soon.
   "One thing we have not done is win a gold medal (in the Olympics)," said Bob, who earned a bronze medal with Bob in the 2008 Games in Beijing. "We're shooting for that next year (in London). We still love what we do. There are guys still playing great tennis at 39 and 40. This is something we'll probably do for the next four or five years."
   With that, Kansas City owner Jeff Launius pleaded, "The real question is, how long will both of you keep playing for the Kansas City Explorers?"
   Cracked Bob Bryan, "You guys have wheelchair tennis?"     

Capitals 23, Explorers 12
   Men's doubles -- Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (Explorers) def. Mark Knowles and Dusan Vemic (Capitals) 5-3.
   Mixed doubles -- Vania King and Knowles (Capitals) def. Kveta Peschke and Mike Bryan (Explorers) 5-1.
   Men's singles -- Vemic (Capitals) def. Ricardo Mello (Explorers) 5-2.
   Women's doubles -- King and Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Peschke and Madison Brengle (Explorers) 5-1.
   Women's singles -- King (Capitals) def. Brengle (Explorers) 5-3.

Bryan brothers fulfill father's dream

   Long before Bob and Mike Bryan were born on April 29, 1978 — exactly eight years after their biggest idol, Andre Agassi — their father had two goals.
   "My high school annual had a thing called 'senior prophecies,' said Sacramento Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, who graduated from Hawthorne High in the Los Angeles area. "In it, you predicted what you would be doing in 20 years. I said I'd be living in San Francisco and my son would be the No. 1 (tennis) player in the world. Had I known I'd have (identical) twins, I would have said the No. 1 doubles team in the world."
   Well, one out of two isn't bad. Bryan settled in Camarillo, between Los Angeles and Santa  Barbara, rather than San Francisco, where he had dated a girl in high school. Bob and Mike, meanwhile, have become not only the top men's doubles team in the world but arguably the greatest ever.
   The Bryan brothers will make their season debut for the Kansas City Explorers, the defending champions of World TeamTennis, against their father's team Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   Bob and Mike Bryan recently won Wimbledon for their 11th Grand Slam men's doubles title, tying the Open era record of Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.
   "This is as special as it gets," Mike told reporters at Wimbledon. "I always thought we'd play our best at Wimbledon, and we've lost three heartbreaking finals. To get on that board again, to have two Wimbledon titles, is really special.
   "And then to equal the Woodies — a team that we idolized, the greatest team in our mind — is unbelievable. To get their (ATP World Tour) title record (the Bryans have 73 vs. the Aussies' 61) and get the Grand Slam record, I'm trying to figure out what's left."
  Two things come to mind. One is the all-time record of 12 Grand Slam men's doubles titles held by Australians John Newcombe and Tony Roche. The other is an Olympic gold medal. The closest the Bryans have come is a bronze in 2008 in Beijing. Their best, though probably not last, shot at gold will come in London next year, when they will be 34. Bob said at Wimbledon that he and Mike anticipate playing "five or six more years."
   Bob and Mike seem genetically engineered to be the perfect doubles team. In addition to having played with each other all their lives, they're big (Bob is listed at 6-foot-4, 202 pounds and Mike at 6-3, 192), feature a right-hander (Mike) and left-hander (Bob), and comprise a big server (Bob) and a big returner (Mike).
   "I love size in a doubles team," Wayne Bryan said. "Bigger guys can eat up the court. And (Bob and Mike) have a lefty-righty situation. The best doubles teams in history have been lefty-righty: Newcombe-Roche, the Woodies, (John) McEnroe-(Peter) Fleming, (Rick) Leach-(Jim)  Pugh. ... You never serve into the sun. If there's a slight cross breeze, both balls are enhanced by the wind."
   The Capitals' Mark Knowles, formerly ranked No. 1 in men's doubles, said the Bryans are the best doubles team he has faced in his 20 years on the circuit.
  "They're more of a power team, but they also do the small things well," Knowles, 39, said at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March. "They play very good strategic doubles, and they're in sync all the time. That's the key to doubles — communication not only verbally but in movement and knowing where your partner is going to go, closing gaps and adjusting to your partner's movements. They do it better than anybody."
   Actually, Wayne Bryan said his main goal was for his sons "to love the great game of tennis, love music, do well in school and be good kids. But it had to be their goal, not mine. I just set the table."
   He apparently did a good job.
   Concerning Bob and Mike having played together from the beginning, tennis journalist and historian Bud Collins said in Indian Wells with a chuckle: "That's helpful. On the other hand, it might not be helpful. A lot of brothers hate each other. They have had battles between themselves. They readily admit that, but they found something they love, and they're lucky. Most people don't find something they love."
   Mike Bryan insisted he and Bob, both of whom play with their father in the Bryan Bros. Band, get along fine.
   "We walk in the house, we go into the music room, and we're jamming at night for a half hour," Mike said at Wimbledon. "First thing in the morning, I hear Bob on the piano, and I go down there, and I plug in my guitar. We have a blast together. We share the same DNA."

Capitals earn key victory; Kunitsyn heads Aptos

   Even though the Sacramento Capitals' 16-day regular season seemingly whizzes by faster than Usain Bolt in the 100-meter dash, it's a bit early to label any match as critical.
   But Sunday's night's came close for the World TeamTennis franchise.
   Playing at home against a team with no marquee stars, Sacramento knocked off the rival Newport Beach Breakers 22-19 in overtime before an announced crowd of 1,721 at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, Calif.
   A loss would have dropped the Capitals (2-3) three matches behind first-place St. Louis and 2 1/2 behind second-place Newport Beach (3-3) in the Western Conference. The top two teams in each conference after the 14-match regular season advance to the playoffs.
   Furthermore, Sacramento next faces a monumental challenge against another Western Conference team. Although the WTT defending champion Kansas City Explorers are only 2-3, they will bring three reigning Wimbledon doubles champions to Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. match at Sunrise Mall.
   Bob and Mike Bryan, who recently won their second men's doubles crown at the All England Club, will make their season debut for Kansas City. The identical twin sons of Capitals coach Wayne Bryan will join Kveta Peschke, who captured her first Wimbledon women's doubles title (with Katarina Srebotnik).
   Sacramento then plays five of its next six matches on the road before ending the regular season with two home contests.
   WTT rookie Yasmin Schnack keyed Sunday's victory over Newport Beach. Still filling in for Vania King, who's resting after Wimbledon, the local product won 5-2 in women's singles and 5-3 in mixed doubles and lost 5-4 in women's doubles. 
   Schnack had faced future International Tennis Hall of Famers Martina Hingis and Serena Williams in women's singles the previous two nights, losing by a combined score of 10-1. This time, Schnack beat journeywoman Anne Keothavong to give the Capitals a 19-13 lead entering the final set.
   But the Newport Beach pair of Lester Cook and Travis Rettenmaier beat Mark Knowles and Dusan Vemic 5-2 to send the match to overtime. After the Breakers held serve to cut Sacramento's lead to 21-19, Vemic won his serve to end the match.                    
   Capitals 22, Breakers 19 (OT)
   Mixed doubles -- Yasmin Schnack and Mark Knowles, Capitals, def. Marie-Eve Pelletier and Travis Rettenmaier, Breakers, 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Pelletier and Anne Keothavong, Breakers, def. Christina Fusano and Schnack, Capitals, 5-4.
   Men's singles -- Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. Lester Cook, Breakers, 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Schnack, Capitals, def. Keothavong, Breakers, 5-2.
   Men's doubles -- Cook and Rettenmaier, Breakers, def. Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, 5-2.
   Overtime -- Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, tied Cook and Rettenmaier, Breakers, 1-1.
   Aptos Challenger -- Russia's Igor Kunitsyn heads the field in the $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, today through Sunday at the Seascape Sports Club in Aptos, Calif.
   Kunitsyn, who's ranked 62nd in the world, trains at the Gorin Tennis Academy in Granite Bay, Calif., outside of Sacramento.
   Donald Young, the 2007 Aptos champion and 2010 runner-up from Atlanta, is seeded second and Matthew Eben of Australia third.
   Ebden reached the singles quarterfinals and won the doubles title with American Ryan Harrison at last week's Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, R.I., on the ATP World Tour.
   The Comerica main draw also includes former top-15 player Robby Ginepri, the last two NCAA singles champions  (USC's Steve Johnson this year and Stanford's Bradley Klahn), and last year's U.S. Open junior titlist (Jack Sock).
   Devin Britton, the 2009 NCAA champ for Mississippi, lost to fellow American Chris Kearney in the second round of qualifying Sunday.

Serena, Kastles beat Capitals

   The good news for the Sacramento Capitals is they won't face a future International Tennis Hall of Famer tonight. The bad news is that two more are coming to town Tuesday.
   For the second straight night at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, Calif., a future immortal led her team over Sacramento as Serena Williams and the Washington Kastles rallied for a 21-16 victory Saturday before an announced sellout crowd of 2,500. On Friday, Martina Hingis and the New York Sportimes triumphed 21-12.
   After hosting the rival Newport Beach Breakers (3-2) tonight at 7:30 and resting Monday, the Capitals (1-3) will take on the Kansas City Explorers (1-3) at Sunrise Mall.
   Identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, arguably the greatest men's doubles team ever, will make their season debut for the defending champions of World TeamTennis against their father, Sacramento coach Wayne Bryan.
   After the Capitals took a 14-11 lead over Washington (5-0) at intermission, Williams crushed WTT rookie Yasmin Schnack 5-0 in 14 minutes.
   The Kastles' Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds then beat Mark Knowles and Dusan Vemic 5-2 to preserve the victory. Paes, a 38-year-old Indian, has won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles (six men's and six mixed). Reynolds, a 28-year-old tour veteran, earned last year's WTT Male Rookie of the Year award.
   In Williams' other two sets, which opened the match, she lost 5-2 in mixed doubles and won 5-4 in women's doubles.
   Williams played in the Sacramento area for the first time. She recently returned to action after missing 11 months because of two foot operations and blood clots in both of her lungs.

Kastles 21, Capitals 16  
   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, def. Leander Paes and Serena Williams, Kastles, 5-2.
   Women’s doubles -- Rennae Stubbs and Williams, Kastles, def. Christina Fusano and Schnack, Capitals, def. 5-4.
   Men’s singles -- Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. Bobby Reynolds, Kastles, 5-4.
   Women’s singles --Williams, Kastles, def. Schnack, Capitals, 5-0.
   Men’s doubles -- Reynolds and Paes, Kastles, def. Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, 5-2.

On Serena, cheeseburgers and a bold statement

   The first time Wayne Bryan saw Venus and Serena Williams, they were 8 and 6 years old, respectively.

   Bryan, who will coach the host Sacramento Capitals against Serena and the Washington Kastles in a World TeamTennis match tonight at 7:30 at Sunrise Mall, was conducting a clinic at UCLA.

   “There were 300 or 400 kids and a lot of coaches and parents in the stands,” recalled Bryan, a longtime resident of Camarillo, Calif. (between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara). “I noticed two skinny little girls. I said on the microphone, ‘Who’s the parent of these girls?’ A man said, ‘I am.’

   Bryan continued, "These girls have a lot of talent. They’re welcome to come out to Camarillo and hit.”

   Richard Williams and his daughters subsequently made the 90-minute drive from their home in Compton in the Los Angeles area to Camarillo.

   “They came in a tan van held together by coat hangers and tape,” Bryan said. “The girls hustled and hit the ball well, and I bought them all cheeseburgers.

   “Every time I see Richard, he says, ‘Thanks for the cheeseburgers.' I don’t know if they came for the clinic or the cheeseburgers.”

   Did Bryan, the father of doubles stars Bob and Mike Bryan, predict stardom for the Williams sisters?

   “The first thing I look for is passion,” he said. “They had that. Then I look for athletic ability. They had that. Then I look for dedicated parents who are positive with the child. They had that. Those are three pretty big ingredients. Nobody can predict athletic greatness at 6 or 8, but they certainly had a lot going for them."
   Serena, who turns 30 in September, will return to her home state (although she was born in Saginaw, Mich.) tonight to make her first appearance in the Sacramento area. Venus played for the now-defunct Delaware Smash against the Capitals at the same site in 2005.

   After Serena won Wimbledon last year, Sports Illustrated proclaimed her the greatest female player ever. Even though she ranks sixth with 13 Grand Slam singles titles, SI argued that:
   --Serena plays in a far more competitive era than Margaret Smith Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Helen Wills Moody (19), Chris Evert (18) and Martina Navratilova (18).
   --The serve is the most important shot in tennis, and everyone from Navratilova to former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport agrees that Serena's is the best in history.
   Tennis journalist and historian Bud Collins is unwilling to anoint Serena as the best ever, saying it's impossible to compare players of different eras. But in an exclusive interview at the BNP Paribas Cup in Indian Wells, Calif., in March, the 82-year-old International Tennis Hall of Famer called the Williams sisters "the two most remarkable players in history. I don't think there's any doubt about that.
   "They came from a difficult background, they didn't play junior tennis, they said what they were going to do (become the top two players in the world), and they did it. There's never been anyone like them."
   Serena, though, endured a nightmarish 11 months following her fourth Wimbledon singles title last year. She underwent two operations on her foot after stepping on broken glass at a restaurant in Munich and was hospitalized in February with life-threatening blood clots in both of her lungs. 
   Serena returned to the tour last month, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in the second tournament of her comeback. Normally stoic, she cried after her first-round victory over Aravane Rezai of France.
   "It was so emotional for me," Serena said afterward, "because I've been through a lot of things throughout the last 12 months that aren't normal, things you guys don't even know about. It's just been a long, arduous road. To stand up still is pretty awesome."
   On Thursday, Serena helped Washington beat the visiting Boston Lobsters in her first sanctioned match in the United States in almost two years. First lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia attended the match.    
   Now it's on to Sacramento to face her old friend, Wayne Bryan.

Capitals rebound, beat Kansas City

   The Sacramento Capitals turned it around in one night.
   After falling behind 10-3 and losing their season opener at St. Louis on Wednesday, the Capitals jumped out to a big lead and held on to beat the host Kansas City Explorers, the World TeamTennis defending champions, 23-16 in overtime Thursday night.
   After the Capitals' Mark Knowles and Nick Monroe began the match with a 5-3 victory in men's doubles, Sacramento-area resident Yasmin Schnack demolished Madison Brengle 5-0 in 14 minutes in women's singles. Then Monroe beat Ricardo Mello 5-2 to give Sacramento a 15-5 lead at intermission.
   The Capitals held on from there to even their record at 1-1 and drop Kansas City, featuring newly crowned Wimbledon women's doubles champion Kveta Peschke, to 0-2.
   "I'm very happy with our play tonight," Sacramento coach Wayne Bryan said. "We improved dramatically over the course of the last three days (including practice before the season opener)."  
   For the second straight match, Monroe and Sacramento native Christina Fusano replaced regular players Dusan Vemic and Vania King. Vemic encountered visa problems leaving his home in Serbia, and King is resting after Wimbledon.
   Vemic is expected to play in tonight's home opener against Martina Hingis and the New York Sportimes at 7:30 at Sunrise Mall. King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP for the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers, will join the Capitals by Tuesday, general manager Matt McEvoy said.

Capitals def. Kansas City 23-16 (OT)
   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles/Nick Monroe (Capitals) def. Alex Kuznetsov/Ricardo Mello (Explorers) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Madison Brengle (Explorers) 5-0.
   Men's singles -- Monroe (Capitals) def. Mello (Explorers) 5-2.
   Mixed doubles -- Kveta Peschke/Kuznetsov (Explorers) def. Schnack/Knowles (Capitals) 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Brengle/Peschke (Explorers) def. Christina Fusano/Schnack (Capitals) 5-4.
   Overtime -- Brengle/Peschke (Explorers) tied Fusano/Schnack (Capitals) 1-1.

Big weekend, Capitals' opener, etc.

   This weekend could be the biggest in Sacramento tennis history. Consider:
   --Martina Hingis, a likely future Hall of Famer, and the New York Sportimes will face the Capitals in a World TeamTennis match on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   --Serena Williams -- the greatest female player in history, according to Sports Illustrated -- will make what is believed to be her first visit to the Sacramento area on Saturday. Williams and the Washington Kastles will take on the Capitals at 7:30 p.m. at Sunrise Mall.
   --Former Capital Andre Agassi will be inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., on Saturday (Tennis Channel, 9:30 a.m. PDT).
   --Bob and Mike Bryan, arguably the greatest men's doubles team ever and the identical twin sons of Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, will play for the United States on Saturday in the Davis Cup quarterfinals (Tennis Channel, noon PDT). The U.S. will meet Spain, minus the resting Rafael Nadal, beginning Friday (same station and time) in Austin, Texas, where team member Andy Roddick lives.
   Three-fourths of the U.S. team -- the Bryans and Mardy Fish -- will come to Sunrise Mall next week in separate WTT matches.
   --The USTA West Coast Junior Championships are scheduled for Saturday through Tuesday at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   Emmett Egger of Issaquah, Wash., and Christina Makarova of San Diego are seeded first in boys and girls 18 singles, respectively. Matthew Alves of Gold River, Calif., a Sacramento suburb, is seeded third in boys 18 singles. Egger is ranked fifth nationally, Makarova 40th and Alves 43rd.
   Depleted Capitals lose -- Playing on the road without half of their regular roster, the Capitals opened their 26th WTT season with a 26-21 loss to the St. Louis Aces on Wednesday night.
   Vania King (resting after Wimbledon) and Serbia's Dusan Vemic (visa problems), missed the match and will be absent again Thursday night at defending WTT champion Kansas City, said Capitals general manager Matt McEvoy.
   Vemic will play Friday night in the Capitals' home opener, and King might play then, McEvoy added. At the latest, King will play Tuesday, in which case she will have missed five of the Capitals' 14 regular-season matches.
   King won the Wimbledon women's doubles title last year with Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, but they lost in the second round this year.
   Christina Fusano, a Sacramento native and area resident, and Nick Monroe of Chapel Hill, N.C., replaced King and Vemic, respectively, against St. Louis.
   The Aces meanwhile, played without Lindsay Davenport, the reigning WTT Female MVP. The team announced Tuesday that the former Capital is pregnant with her third child and will miss the season under doctor's orders. She was replaced by former USC All-American Maria Sanchez of Modesto, Calif.
   Yasmin Schnack made her WTT debut for the Capitals. The resident of Elk Grove, a Sacramento suburb, won in mixed doubles and women's singles but lost in women's doubles.
   Complete results:
   Men's doubles -- Jean-Julien Rojer/Roman Borvanov (Aces) def. Monroe/Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-2.
   Men's singles -- Borvanov (Aces) def. Monroe (Capitals) 5-1.
   Mixed doubles -- Knowles/Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Rojer/Liezel Huber (Aces) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Schnack (Capitals) def. Sanchez (Aces) 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Huber/Sanchez (Aces) def. Fusano/Schnack (Capitals) 5-3.
   Strong field -- Three of the four semifinalists in women's singles at Wimbledon last week are entered in the Bank of the West Classic, July 25-31 in Stanford, Calif.
   Set to play are defending champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 2010 runner-up Maria Sharapova of Russia and Sabine Lisicki of Germany. The field also includes Williams, who recently returned from an 11-month injury/illness layoff and lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
   Unfortunately for Bank of the West organizers, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is not entered.
   Tickets are available at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or http://www.bankofthewestclassic.com/. Single-session tickets for the tournament's opening round start at $26.
  
  

Season preview: Capitals hope to rebound

   Since winning the last of their record six World TeamTennis titles in 2007, the Sacramento Capitals have endured trying times.
   From 1997 through 2007, Sacramento went 108-35 (.755) and won all six of their league crowns, including four in a row (1997-2000) and five in six years. Since then, however, the Capitals have gone 20-22 (.476) with one playoff appearance.
   After going 8-6 and falling in the Western Conference final at home in Roseville in 2008, the Capitals have gone 6-8 and missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
   Only once before since joining the league in 1986 had Sacramento had suffered a losing record (also 6-8 in 1991). Only three times before had the Capitals missed the playoffs.
   Not coincidentally, 2007 was Elena Likhovtseva's last full-time year on the women's tour, and Mark Knowles has played only one full-time season for the Capitals since then. Knowles missed the 2008 season because of the birth of his second child and played only four matches last year because the team "decided to make more of a (financial) investment in Vania (King) than myself," he said.
   Likhovtseva and Knowles were named to The Sacramento Bee's all-time Capitals team last year (with Lindsay Davenport and Brian MacPhie).
   Nor did it help that Sacramento native Sam Warburg, a strong singles and doubles player, retired at 26 in October 2009 after five seasons with the Capitals.
   Most crushing of all, Lonnie Nielson, the team's owner or co-owner from 2000 until early this year, was sentenced in May to seven years in prison for embezzling more than $800,000 from real estate clients.
   Bob Cook, a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings, bought 50 percent of the Capitals from Nielson in 2008 and the rest this year. Cook also promoted Matt McEvoy, then 25, from assistant general manager to general manager in March 2010.
   The Capitals will try to rebound from their woes beginning tonight, when they open their 26th season against the host St. Louis Aces.
   Sacramento's playoff chances appear much better this year than last. Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP formerly ranked No. 1 in the world in men's doubles, returns full-time.
   "When I talked to (management), Bob and Matt, about this season, I said, 'I really want to get back to the playoffs,' " Knowles, 39, of the Bahamas said during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif., in March. "It's really all I know with Sacramento."
   Also, Mardy Fish replaces Michael Chang as the Capitals' marquee player for one match. Fish, a 29-year-old native of Edina, Minn., living in Tampa, Fla., is ranked a career-high No. 8 in the world in men's singles. Chang, an International Tennis Hall of Famer, retired in 2003 at 31.
   Meanwhile, four of the top five women's singles players in WTT last year are not returning, at least full-time. The only exception is No. 4 Martina Hingis, a likely future Hall of Famer, of the New York Sportimes.
   Sacramento received a huge boost when Davenport, the league's reigning female MVP for the St. Louis Aces, announced this week that she's pregnant with her third child and will not play this season under doctor's orders. Another Western Conference star who's not returning is No. 3 Jarmila Gajdosova of the defending champion Kansas City Explorers. Meanwhile, the top six men's singles players return.
   Women's singles and doubles are critical in WTT's abbreviated format because it's more difficult for the powerful men to break each other's serve.
   King and Dusan Vemic return for their second season with the Capitals. Rounding out the squad is WTT and tour rookie Yasmin Schnack from the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove.
   "I like the team a lot," said Wayne Bryan, in his 10th year as the Capitals' coach. " ... Schnack has good size (5-foot-10), she's a big hitter, and she has a good volley. She'll be a big key. Other than Elena and Vania, she's the best (women's) doubles player I've had. Knowles is healthy. Vemic played singles and doubles last year. All the other teams are good as well."    
   Here's how the Capitals break down in each event:
   Men's singles -- Vemic, 35, of Serbia is flashy but inconsistent. He finished fifth among nine WTT regulars with a 54-53 (.505) record in games last season. Grade: C+.
   Women's singles -- Listed at 5-5, King is quick but can be overpowered by bigger players. A 22-year-old resident of Boynton Beach, Fla., who grew up in Long Beach, she finished sixth among 10 WTT regulars with a 50-48 (.510) mark in games last season. Against weaker competition in 2009, King placed first in singles for Springfield and earned the league's Female MVP award. Grade: B-.
   Men's doubles -- Knowles and Vemic, 35, of Serbia should form an excellent team after going 3-1 together last year. Although both have struggled this year, they have strong credentials. Knowles has won three Grand Slam men's doubles titles (2002 Australian Open, 2004 U.S. Open and 2007 French Open, all with Daniel Nestor). Vemic has reached two Grand Slam semifinals in the event (2008 French Open with Bruno Soares and 2010 Australian Open with Ivo Karlovic). Grade: A-.
   Women's doubles -- King and Schnack are close friends who complement each other well. King won the Wimbledon and U.S. Open women's doubles titles last year with Yaroslava Shvedova, and Schnack has reached three women's doubles finals in tennis' minor leagues this year. Grade: B.
   Mixed doubles -- Knowles, the 2009 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion with Anna-Lena Groenefeld, and King form perhaps the top team in the league. Grade: A.

Capitals schedule, capsules; WTT rosters

   The Sacramento Capitals begin their 26th season in World TeamTennis on Wednesday night against the host St. Louis Aces.

   Sacramento is coming off consecutive 6-8 seasons, only their second and third losing records. The Capitals have won a record six WTT titles, most recently in 2007.    

CAPITALS’ SCHEDULE

(Home matches at Capitals Stadium, Sunrise Mall)

Wednesday, July 6, at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m.

Thursday, July 7, at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.

Friday, July 8, vs. New York, 7:30 p.m. (Martina Hingis plays for Sportimes)

Saturday, July 9, vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. (Serena Williams plays for Kastles)

Sunday, July 10, vs. Newport Beach, 7:30  p.m.

Tuesday, July 12, vs. Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. (Bob and Mike Bryan play for Explorers)

Wednesday, July 13, at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m.

Thursday, July 14, at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m. (Bryans play for Explorers)

Friday, July 15, vs. Newport Beach, 7:30 p.m. (Mardy Fish plays for Capitals)

Saturday, July 16, at Newport Beach, 7:15 p.m.

Monday, July 18, at Washington, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, July 19, at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.

Wednesday, July 20, vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 21, vs. Springfield, 7:30 p.m.

2011 CAPITALS CAPSULES

   Mardy Fish, 29, Tampa, Fla., fourth World TeamTennis season (first with Capitals). Will play one match for Capitals on July 15 against Newport Beach Breakers at Sunrise Mall. ... Top-ranked American man at career-high No. 8 in world. ... Equaled best Grand Slam result by reaching Wimbledon quarterfinals for first time last week as last American in tournament. ... Has won five career ATP World Tour titles in singles and eight in doubles (including San Jose in 2004 with James Blake and last year with Sam Querrey). ... In U.S. victory on clay at Colombia last September, became first American to win all three of his matches (two singles and one doubles) in single Davis Cup series since Pete Sampras in 1995 final in Moscow. ... Won singles silver medal in 2004 Olympics in Athens, losing to Nicolas Massu of Chile 6-4 in the fifth set after leads two sets to one. ... Named 2006 Comeback Player of Year after undergoing two operations on left wrist.  ... Has booming serve, excellent return of serve. ... Moved from Minnesota to Florida at age 4 and lived with Andy Roddick in 1999 during high school. ... Returns to WTT after five-year absence. Played for Hartford FoxForce in 2004 and Houston Wranglers in 2005 and 2006. Both teams later folded.  

   Vania King, 22, Boynton Beach, Fla., third WTT season (second with Capitals). Ranked No. 7 in world in doubles (No. 2 in U.S.) and No. 90 in singles (No. 4 in U.S.). ... Won first Grand Slam titles last year, prevailing in women's doubles at Wimbledon and U.S. Open with Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan. ... Has won 12 career WTA Tour titles in doubles and one in singles (2006 Bangkok). ... Member of U.S. Fed Cup team 2006-09, 2011. ... Led Springfield (Mo.) Lasers to 2009 WTT Western Division championship and was named WTT Female MVP. ... Acquired from Springfield in 2010 draft-day trade. ... Fell from first in WTT women's singles (among 10 regulars) in 2009 to sixth last season against tougher competition. ... Quick at only 5-foot-5. ... Attended same high school, Long Beach Poly, as Billie Jean King (no relation). ... Talented singer performed "American the Beautiful" in Arthur Ashe Stadium at 2006 U.S. Open.

   Mark Knowles, 39, Bahamas, 10th WTT season (all with Capitals). Doubles specialist ranked No. 28 in world after reaching No. 1 in 2002 and 2004. … Finished in top 10 for eight straight years (2002-09). … In April 2010, became fifth player in ATP World Tour 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 53 men’s doubles crowns (20th in Open Era, which began in 1968). … Three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007), tied with ex-Capital Brian MacPhie (1996-98) for men’s record. ... Has textbook volley and return of serve.  

   Yasmin Schnack, 23, Elk Grove, WTT rookie. Ranked No. 221 in doubles and No. 379 in singles in first full year as pro. … Won doubles title at $25,000 tournament in Redding last September in pro debut with fellow Sacramento-area pro Christina Fusano. … Has reached three doubles finals in tennis' minor leagues this year, falling each time. ... Powerful, athletic at 5-10. ... Close friend of teammate King. … Graduated from UCLA in sociology last year after All-America career. … Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year and NCAA doubles semifinalist in 2010. … Member of Bruins’ 2008 national championship team.

   Dusan Vemic, 35, Serbia, sixth WTT season (second with Capitals). Ranked 290th in doubles (career-high No. 31 in 2009) and 1,474th in singles (career-high No. 146 in 2008). ... Reached doubles semifinals of 2008 French Open (with Bruno Soares of Brazil) and 2010 Australian Open (with Ivo Karlovic of Croatia) and doubles quarterfinals of 2008 U.S. Open (with Soares). ... Powerful, flashy player finished fifth among nine regulars in WTT men's singles last season. ...  Played WTT for St. Louis in 2002 and Kansas City Explorers from 2007 to 2009.    

   Wayne Bryan, coach, Camarillo, 11th WTT season (10^th with Capitals). Longest-tenured coach in the league. … Earned third consecutive WTT Coach of the Year in 2006. … Has led Capitals to two of their record six league titles (2002 and 2007). … Father of identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, world’s top-ranked men’s doubles team. … 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 WTT ROSTERS

(Players available for all 14 matches unless otherwise noted in parentheses)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

   Kansas City Explorers (WTT defending champions) – Bob and Mike Bryan (six), Alex Kuznetsov, Kveta Peschke, Ricardo Mello, Madison Brengle. Coach: Brent Haygarth.

   Newport Beach Breakers – Pete Sampras (one), Anne Keothavong, Lester Cook, Travis Rettenmaier, Marie-Eve Pelletier. Coach: Trevor Kronemann.

   St. Louis Aces – Mark Philippoussis (three), Liezel Huber, Maria Sanchez, Jean-Julien Roger, Roman Borvanov. Coach: Rick Leach.

   Springfield (Mo.) Lasers – Carly Gullickson, Lilia Osterloh, Paul Hanley, Raven Klaasen, Rik de Voest. Coach: John Laffnie de Jager (two-time reigning WTT Coach of the Year).

EASTERN CONFERENCE

   Boston Lobsters – James Blake (one), John Isner (one), Coco Vandeweghe, Jan-Michael Gambill, Eric Butorac, Mashona Washington. Coach: Bud Schultz.

   New York Sportimes – John McEnroe (four), Kim Clijsters (two), Martina Hingis (seven), Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten, Katie O’Brien. Coach: Fritz Buehning.

   Philadelphia Freedoms – Jimmy Connors (one), Melanie Oudin (three), Lisa Raymond, Beatrice Capra, Brendan Evans, Nathan Healey. Coach: Pascal Collard.

   Washington Kastles – Serena Williams (two), Venus Williams (two), Sam Querrey (one), Arina Rodionova, Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds (2010 WTT Male Rookie of the Year), Rennae Stubbs. Coach: Murphy Jensen.

   For more information, call (916) 488-5000 or visit www.saccaps.com.