CARLSBAD, Calif. – World TeamTennis’ 44th season has been whittled down to four semifinalists competing in the 2019 WTT Playoffs, held for the first time in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena with the semifinals taking place on Friday, with the WTT Final to follow on Saturday.
The teams vying to hoist the King Trophy – the iconic moment symbolic of winning the World TeamTennis championship – include the regular season champion Philadelphia Freedoms, two of the league’s past three champions – the 2018 WTT champion Springfield (Mo.) Lasers and 2016 WTT champion San Diego Aviators – and the New York Empire, making its first ever appearance in the WTT Playoffs. These teams finished in the top four (of eight teams) in WTT’s regular season standings.
The entire WTT Finals Weekend will air live and exclusively on CBS Sports Network, with Friday’s WTT semifinals taking place at 4 p.m. PT (local time) and 7 p.m. PT and Saturday’s WTT Final airing at 7 p.m. PT. Jason Knapp and analyst Sam Groth will call the WTT Playoffs action, with Olivia Dekker and Nick Gismondi serving as sideline reporters, and guest analyst Katrina Adams and lifestyle reporter Shaun T also contributing to the telecasts.
Below is a breakdown of World TeamTennis’ semifinal matchups and playoff schedule:
Springfield (Mo.) Lasers vs. San Diego Aviators
WTT Semifinal No. 1 – Friday, Aug. 2 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas – 4 p.m. PT (CBS Sports Network)
Records: Springfield (9-5; No. 2 seed); San Diego (9-5, No. 3 seed)
2019 Head-to-Head: July 21 (at San Diego) – San Diego def. Springfield, 24-20
July 24 (at Springfield) – Springfield def. San Diego, 22-17
Franchise history in the WTT Final:
Springfield won the King Trophy in 2018 and finished runner-up in 1999, 2001, 2009, 2013 and 2014.
San Diego (including its past franchise history when known as the San Diego Buds) won the King Trophy in 1984, 1985 and 2016 and finished runner-up in 2017.
Springfield roster:
PLAYER COUNTRY/NATIONALITY WTT SEASONS PLAYED
Anna Blinkova Russia 1
Olga Govortsova Belarus 3
Robert Lindstedt Sweden 2
Enrique Lopez Perez Spain 1
Abigail Spears USA 9
Coach: John-Laffnie de Jager (South Africa)
San Diego roster:
PLAYER COUNTRY/NATIONALITY WTT SEASONS PLAYED
Anna-Lena Groenefeld Germany 7
Jonny O’Mara England 1
Arina Rodionova Australia 6
James Ward England 1
Coach: John Lloyd (England)
Springfield 2019 WTT season stats
San Diego 2019 WTT season stats
Philadelphia Freedoms vs. New York Empire
WTT Semifinal No. 2: Friday, Aug. 2 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas – 7 p.m. PT (CBS Sports Network)
Records: Philadelphia (11-3; regular season champion and No. 1 seed); New York (8-6; No. 4 seed)
2019 Head-to-Head
July 30 (at New York) — Philadelphia def. New York, 25-15
July 31 (at Philadelphia) – New York def. Philadelphia, 21-16
Franchise history in the WTT Final:
Philadelphia won the King Trophy in 2001 and 2006 and finished runner-up in 1974 and 2018.
New York is making its first WTT Playoffs appearance in franchise history.
Philadelphia roster:
PLAYER COUNTRY/NATIONALITY WTT SEASONS PLAYED
Raquel Atawo USA 7
Fabrice Martin France 4
Mitchell Krueger USA 1
Taylor Townsend USA 6
Coach: Craig Kardon (USA)
New York roster:
PLAYER COUNTRY/NATIONALITY WTT SEASONS PLAYED
Ulises Blanch USA 1
Mardy Fish USA 9
Kirsten Flipkens Belgium 2
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez Spain 2
Neal Skupski England 5
Coach: Luke Jensen (USA)
Philadelphia 2019 WTT season stats
New York 2019 WTT season stats –
WTT Final – Saturday, Aug. 3 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. PT (CBS Sports Network)
Each of WTT’s eight teams played 14 regular season matches in 2019 – seven home matches and seven away matches – for a league-wide total of 59 regular season matches. WTT introduced professional team tennis to the world in 1974, with Billie Jean King famously serving as its co-founder. WTT is one of five active U.S. pro sports leagues which has been in operation for over 40 years, along with the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. For more information on World TeamTennis, please visit www.wtt.com.
