2015 World TeamTennis season | |
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40th season logo | |
League | World TeamTennis |
Sport | Team tennis |
Duration | July 12 – August 2, 2015 |
Number of matches | Regular season: 49 (14 for each team) Postseason: 3 |
Number of teams | 7 |
TV partner(s) | ESPN2 ESPN3 Tennis Channel Altitude Sports and Entertainment Comcast SportsNet affiliates Mediacom Connections MSG |
World TeamTennis Player Draft | |
Top draft pick | Eugenie Bouchard |
Picked by | Boston Lobsters |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Austin Aces |
Season MVP | Teymuraz Gabashvili (Male MVP) (Austin) Anabel Medina Garrigues (Female co-MVP) (California) Anastasia Rodionova (Female co-MVP) (Washington) |
Eastern Conference | |
Season champions | Washington Kastles |
Runners-up | Philadelphia Freedoms |
Western Conference | |
Season champions | Austin Aces |
Runners-up | California Dream |
Conference Championships | |
Eastern Conference champions | Washington Kastles |
Western Conference champions | Austin Aces |
World TeamTennis Final | |
Venue | Kastles Stadium at the Charles E. Smith Center |
Champions | Washington Kastles |
Runners-up | Austin Aces |
Finals MVP | Leander Paes (Washington) |
The 2015 World TeamTennis season was the 40th season of the top professional team tennis league in the United States. Pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with Mylan N.V., the official name of the league was Mylan World TeamTennis in 2015. [1] The Washington Kastles defeated the Austin Aces in the WTT Final to win their fifth consecutive King Trophy.
The 2015 World TeamTennis season included seven teams split into two conferences (Eastern and Western). The Eastern Conference had three teams, and the Western Conference had four teams. Each team played a 14-match regular-season schedule with seven home and seven away matches. The top two teams in each conference qualified for the conference championship matches hosted by the first-place finishers. The conference champions met in the World TeamTennis Final hosted in 2015, by the Eastern Conference champion. A Western Conference champion that is a higher seed than an Eastern Conference champion would be treated as the "home" team in the WTT Final and have the right to determine order of play. The winner of the WTT Final was awarded the King Trophy.
On February 23, 2015, WTT announced that a new ownership group had taken control of the Texas Wild and moved the team to Citrus Heights, California, renaming it the California Dream. [2]
Unlike previous seasons in which WTT conducted its Marquee Player Draft and its Roster Player Draft on different dates about one month apart, the league conducted a single draft at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California on March 16, 2015. [3] The order in which teams selected was based on the results the teams achieved in 2014, with weaker teams selecting earlier and stronger teams selecting later. The team with the worst regular-season record selected first in each round, and the remaining nonplayoff teams followed in order based on their records. After the nonplayoff teams chose, the conference championship loser with the worse record of the two selected and was followed by the other conference championship loser. The WTT runner up selected after the conference championship losers, and the WTT champion selected last. The draft position for the relocated California Dream franchise was based on the results achieved as the Texas Wild. [4] Each team could protect certain players from its 2014 roster. Marquee players or doubles teams and wildcard players could be protected if they appeared in a match for the team in 2014. Exempt, roster and substitute players who appeared in at least three matches for the team in 2014, could also be protected. [5] Teams could also protect players who qualified for protection based on match appearances in 2013, but were unable to play in 2014, due to injury. [6] Teams holding the right to protect players could trade those rights before or during the draft. [7] In another change from previous seasons, WTT eliminated its separate roster-exempt player draft. Instead, roster-exempt players were chosen in the roster player portion of the draft. [8] Since roster-exempt players are not required to be full-time members of the team, the rule change makes it possible for a team to make four selections in the roster player portion of the draft and not have two male and two female full-time players. In such cases, these teams are permitted to make selections in additional rounds of the roster player draft until they have a complete roster. [9] The selections made [3] are shown in the tables below.
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Eugenie Bouchard | N | |
2 | California Dream | Bob and Mike Bryan | Y | Doubles team |
3 | Austin Aces | Andy Roddick | Y | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Pass | – | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Madison Keys | N | Designated |
6 | Springfield Lasers | John Isner | Y | |
7 | Washington Kastles | Martina Hingis | Y |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Pass | – | |
2 | California Dream | Pass | – | |
3 | Austin Aces | Pass | – | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Pass | – | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Pass | – | |
6 | Springfield Lasers | Pass | – | |
7 | Washington Kastles | Venus Williams | Y |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Pass | – | |
2 | California Dream | Pass | – | |
3 | Austin Aces | Pass | – | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Pass | – | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Pass | – | |
6 | Springfield Lasers | Pass | – | |
7 | Washington Kastles | Serena Williams | N | Designated |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Irina Falconi | N | |
2 | California Dream | Jarmila Gajdošová | N | |
3 | Austin Aces | Nicole Gibbs | N | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Taylor Townsend | Y | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Taylor Fritz | N | Amateur |
6 | Springfield Lasers | Andre Begemann | N | |
7 | Washington Kastles | Sam Querrey | N | Exempt |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Scott Lipsky | N | |
2 | California Dream | Anabel Medina Garrigues | N | |
3 | Austin Aces | Alla Kudryavtseva | N | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Robby Ginepri | N | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Raven Klaasen | Y | |
6 | Springfield Lasers | Alison Riske | N | Exempt |
7 | Washington Kastles | Leander Paes | Y |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Chase Buchanan | N | |
2 | California Dream | Tennys Sandgren | N | |
3 | Austin Aces | Jarmere Jenkins | N | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Marcelo Melo | Y | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Chanelle Scheepers | N | |
6 | Springfield Lasers | Anna-Lena Grönefeld | Y | |
7 | Washington Kastles | Pass | – |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Lobsters | Arantxa Parra Santonja | N | |
2 | California Dream | Aisam Qureshi | N | |
3 | Austin Aces | Teymuraz Gabashvili | N | |
4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Liezel Huber | N | |
5 | San Diego Aviators | Květa Peschke | Y | |
6 | Springfield Lasers | Michael Russell | Y | |
7 | Washington Kastles | Anastasia Rodionova | Y |
No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Springfield Lasers | Pass | – | |
2 | Washington Kastles | Pass | – |
Notes:
Eastern Conference | ||||||||
Pos | Team | MP | W | L | PCT | MB | GW | GL |
1 | Washington Kastles | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 0 | 289 | 228 |
2 | Philadelphia Freedoms | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | 5 | 260 | 267 |
3 | Boston Lobsters | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | 5 | 253 | 283 |
2015 Eastern Conference Playoffs |
Philadelphia and Boston split their head-to-head meetings during the regular season, 2 matches each. Philadelphia wins the tiebreaker on games won in head-to-head meetings, 78–71. |
Western Conference | ||||||||
Pos | Team | MP | W | L | PCT | MB | GW | GL |
1 | Austin Aces | 14 | 12 | 2 | .857 | 0 | 290 | 235 |
2 | California Dream | 14 | 9 | 5 | .643 | 3 | 283 | 259 |
3 | San Diego Aviators | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | 7 | 249 | 297 |
4 | Springfield Lasers | 14 | 3 | 11 | .214 | 9 | 247 | 302 |
2015 Western Conference Playoffs |
Boston swept both head-to-head meetings with San Diego during the regular season and wins the tiebreaker in the overall standings. |
Abbreviation and Color Key: Austin Aces - AUS • Boston Lobsters - BOS • California Dream - CAL • Philadelphia Freedoms - PHI San Diego Aviators - SDA • Springfield Lasers - SPR • Washington Kastles - WAS Win •Loss •Home •Away | ||||||||||||||
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Team | Match | |||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
Austin Aces | BOS | WAS | CAL | CAL | SPR | CAL | SDA | SPR | PHI | WAS | SDA | SDA | WAS | SPR |
22–18 (EP) | 22–17 | 20–19 | 22–16 | 19–18 (STB, 7–1) | 20–18 | 24–17 | 23–16 | 14–22 (EP) | 14–22 | 25–8 | 25–13 (EP) | 19–16 | 21–15 | |
Boston Lobsters | WAS | AUS | SPR | SDA | PHI | CAL | SDA | WAS | PHI | WAS | CAL | PHI | PHI | WAS |
17–20 | 18–22 (EP) | 25–18 (EP) | 25–13 | 21–17 | 17–20 | 20–19 | 13–25 | 14–24 | 14–25 | 19–21 (EP) | 17–20 | 19–17 (EP) | 14–22 | |
California Dream | SDA | SPR | PHI | AUS | AUS | BOS | AUS | SPR | SDA | SDA | BOS | PHI | WAS | SDA |
19–24 | 23–18 (EP) | 22–20 | 19–20 | 16–22 | 20–17 | 18–20 | 22–19 | 25–11 | 20–19 | 21–19 (EP) | 22–16 | 17–19 | 20–15 | |
Philadelphia Freedoms | SPR | SDA | CAL | BOS | WAS | WAS | SPR | WAS | BOS | AUS | SPR | CAL | BOS | BOS |
22–19 | 21–22 (STB, 5–7) | 20–22 | 17–21 | 20–21 | 6–23 | 19–20 | 18–16 | 24–14 | 22–14 (EP) | 18–21 | 16–22 | 20–17 | 17–19 (EP) | |
San Diego Aviators | CAL | PHI | BOS | WAS | SPR | BOS | AUS | CAL | CAL | SPR | AUS | AUS | SPR | CAL |
24–19 | 22–21 (STB, 7–5) | 13–25 | 22–18 | 19–22 | 19–20 | 17–24 | 11–25 | 19–20 | 25–17 | 8–25 | 13–25 (EP) | 22–16 | 15–20 | |
Springfield Lasers | PHI | CAL | BOS | WAS | SDA | AUS | PHI | CAL | AUS | PHI | SDA | WAS | SDA | AUS |
19–22 | 18–23 (EP) | 18–25 (EP) | 16–21 | 22–19 | 18–19 (STB, 1–7) | 20–19 | 19–22 | 16–23 | 21–18 | 17–25 | 16–24 (EP) | 16–22 | 15–21 | |
Washington Kastles | BOS | AUS | SPR | SDA | PHI | PHI | PHI | BOS | BOS | AUS | SPR | CAL | AUS | BOS |
20–17 | 17–22 | 21–16 | 18–22 | 21–20 | 23–6 | 16–18 | 25–13 | 25–14 | 22–14 | 24–16 (EP) | 19–17 | 16–19 | 22–14 | |
Conference Championships (July 30) | WTT Final (August 2) | ||||||||
E1 | Washington Kastles | 25 | |||||||
E2 | Philadelphia Freedoms | 9 | |||||||
2 | Washington Kastles | 24* | |||||||
1 | Austin Aces | 18 | |||||||
W1 | Austin Aces | 25 | |||||||
W2 | California Dream | 14 | |||||||
* indicates match went to extended play.
July 30 at Kastles Stadium at Charles E. Smith Center, Washington, District of Columbia: WASHINGTON KASTLES 25, Philadelphia Freedoms 9 [18]
July 30 at Gregory Gymnasium, Austin, Texas: AUSTIN ACES 25, California Dream 14 [19]
August 2 at Kastles Stadium at the Charles E. Smith Center, Washington, District of Columbia: [Final 1] Washington Kastles 24, AUSTIN ACES 18 (extended play) [20]
Note:
The tables below show the WTT players who had the highest regular-season winning percentages in each of the league's five events. Only players who played in at least 40% of the total number of games played by their team in a particular event are eligible to be listed among the official WTT league leaders for that event. [21]
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Rank | Player | Team | GP | GW | GL | PCT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Anabel Medina Garrigues | California Dream | 91 | 57 | 34 | .626 |
2 | Neal Skupski | California Dream | 80 | 46 | 34 | .575 |
3 | Alla Kudryavtseva | Austin Aces | 103 | 59 | 44 | .573 |
4 | Taylor Townsend | Philadelphia Freedoms | 85 | 48 | 37 | .565 |
5 | Teymuraz Gabashvili | Austin Aces | 96 | 54 | 42 | .563 |
6 | Marcelo Melo | Philadelphia Freedoms | 110 | 57 | 53 | .518 |
Award | Recipient | Team |
---|---|---|
Female Co-Most Valuable Players | Anabel Medina Garrigues | California Dream |
Anastasia Rodionova | Washington Kastles | |
Male Most Valuable Player | Teymuraz Gabashvili | Austin Aces |
Female Rookie of the Year | Alla Kudryavtseva | Austin Aces |
Male Rookie of the Year | Neal Skupski | California Dream |
Coach of the Year | Rick Leach | Austin Aces |
WTT Final Most Valuable Player | Leander Paes | Washington Kastles |
The tables below show the regular-season winning percentages of each team in each of the league's five events. [21] [Stats 1]
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Rank | Team | GP | GW | GL | PCT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | California Dream | 104 | 61 | 43 | .587 |
2 | Austin Aces | 103 | 59 | 44 | .573 |
3 | Philadelphia Freedoms | 110 | 57 | 53 | .518 |
4 | Washington Kastles | 108 | 53 | 55 | .491 |
5 | Boston Lobsters | 113 | 52 | 61 | .460 |
6 | San Diego Aviators | 111 | 50 | 61 | .450 |
7 | Springfield Lasers | 115 | 50 | 65 | .435 |
Notes:
The 2015 season was the second year of a four-year television rights contract between WTT and ESPN, Inc. The WTT Final was telecast live on ESPN2. ESPN3 streamed the conference championship matches along with one match each night during the regular season. [23]
In a June 2, 2015 press release, WTT announced that the WTT Final would start at 11:30 am EDT on August 2, and would be streamed from the start by ESPN3. Live television coverage would begin on ESPN2 at 1:00 pm with the match already in progress. The start times for the conference championship matches would be 7:00 pm local time on Thursday July 30. [24]
Four regular-season matches were nationally televised on the Tennis Channel as well as on regional sports networks Altitude Sports and Entertainment, Comcast SportsNet affiliates, Mediacom Connections and MSG. These matches were as follows:
Nationally televised matches were also streamed on ESPN3. In addition to the televised ones, the following regular-season matches were streamed exclusively on ESPN3:
On December 8, 2014, WTT announced that its title-sponsorship agreement with Mylan N.V. was extended for two more years through the 2017 season. As part of its partnership with WTT, Mylan will continue to sponsor events at which children meet with WTT players and are introduced to tennis, charitable events and the Mylan Aces program which allows each team to select a local charity for which it can earn money donated by Mylan by recording the most aces in the league on a given day during the regular season. [25]
The New York Sportimes were a professional tennis team competing in World TeamTennis (WTT). The team was originally based in eastern Long Island from 2000 to 2002, before moving to Westchester County, New York in 2003, and then to New York City in 2009. The team was founded as the New York Hamptons in 2000, before changing its name to the New York Sportimes in 2003. In 2005, the team made its first playoff appearance and went on to defeat the Newport Beach Breakers in the WTT Final to win its first King Trophy.
The Washington Kastles is one of eight franchises that compete in World TeamTennis.
The 2014 World TeamTennis season was the 39th season of the top professional team tennis league in the United States. Pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with Mylan N.V., the official name of the league was Mylan World TeamTennis in 2014. The Washington Kastles defeated the Springfield Lasers in the WTT Final to win their fourth consecutive King Trophy.
The San Diego Aviators are a World TeamTennis (WTT) team that plays at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California in the United States of America. The team is the successor to two WTT franchises. The first was created in 1995, as the New York OTBzz, later renamed the Schenectady County Electrics and then the New York Buzz. The second was created in 2000, as the New York Hamptons, later renamed the New York Sportimes. The Aviators, founded in 1995, are the oldest continuously operating franchise in WTT. The team has won the King Trophy as WTT champions three times: once playing as the New York Sportimes in 2005, once as the New York Buzz in 2008, and once as the San Diego Aviators in 2016. As of 2016, the three championships is the second most of any active WTT franchise behind the Washington Kastles, who have won six.
The 2014 Washington Kastles season was the seventh season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2014 Springfield Lasers season was the 19th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2014 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the 14th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2014 Austin Aces season was the 12th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its first in Greater Austin, Texas after relocating from Orange County, California.
The 2014 Texas Wild season was the 22nd season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its second and final season in Texas.
The 2014 Boston Lobsters season was the tenth season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2015 California Dream season was the 23rd and final season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its first and only season based in California.
The 2015 Springfield Lasers season was the 20th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2015 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the 15th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2015 Austin Aces season was the 13th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its second and final season in Greater Austin, Texas.
The 2015 Boston Lobsters season was the 11th and final season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2015 Washington Kastles season was the eighth season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The 2016 World TeamTennis season was the 41st season of the top professional team tennis league in the United States. Pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with Mylan N.V., the official name of the league was Mylan World TeamTennis in 2016.
The 2016 Washington Kastles season was the ninth season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT). The Kastles finished third in WTT with seven wins and five losses and missed the postseason for the first time since 2010, ending their run of five consecutive WTT championships.
The 2016 Orange County Breakers season was the 14th season of the franchise in World TeamTennis (WTT) and its 12th season in Orange County, California, the first after returning from playing two seasons in Greater Austin, Texas as the Austin Aces.
The 2017 World TeamTennis season was the 42nd season of the top professional team tennis league in the United States. Pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with Mylan N.V., the official name of the league was Mylan World TeamTennis in 2017.