| 2008 World TeamTennis season | |
|---|---|
| League | World TeamTennis |
| Sport | Team tennis |
| Duration | July 3–27, 2008 |
| Number of matches | Regular season: 77(14 for each team) Postseason: 4 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| TV partner(s) | Versus Tennis Channel |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Lindsay Davenport |
| Picked by | Newport Beach Breakers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Kansas City Explorers |
| Season MVP |
|
| Eastern Conference | |
| Season champions | New York Buzz |
| Runners-up | New York Sportimes |
| Western Conference | |
| Season champions | Kansas City Explorers |
| Runners-up | Sacramento Capitals |
| World TeamTennis Final | |
| Venue | Allstate Stadium at Westfield Galleria at Roseville |
| Champions | New York Buzz |
| Runners-up | Kansas City Explorers |
| Championship MVP |  Rennae Stubbs (Kansas City) |
| World TeamTennis seasons | |
← 2007 2009 → | |
The2008World TeamTennis season was the 33rdseason of the top professionalteam tennisleague in the United States.
TheNew York Buzz defeated theKansas City Explorers, 21–18, in the WTT Final to win the King Trophy as WTT champions.
The 2008 World TeamTennis season included 11 teams split into twoconferences (Eastern and Western). The Eastern Conference had six teams, and the Western Conference had five teams. Each team played a 14-match regular-season schedule with seven home and seven away matches. The top teams in each conference were the conference champions. WTT Championship Weekend matches were played atAllstate Stadium at Westfield Galleria at Roseville inRoseville, California. The conference champions and runners-up qualified for the playoffs. In addition, there was a wild-card team that was either the host team (theSacramento Capitals) or the team with the best record among teams that did not finish first or second in their conference, if the Capitals qualified based on finishing first or second. The teams were seeded 1 through 5, regardless of conference, with the top three seeds getting a bye to the WTT Semifinals. The fourth seed and the wild card met in a wild card match with the winner facing the number 1 seed in the semifinals. The other semifinal match pitted the number 2 seed against the number 3 seed. The winners of the semifinal matches met in the WTT Final to decide the winner of the King Trophy and the league championship. Higher seeded teams were treated as "home" teams in playoff matches and had the right to determine order of play.[1][2]
TheHouston Wranglers folded following the 2007 season. Owner Linda McIngvale said, "This is not the right type of community for the Wranglers. We're just too big of a city with too many options. There's a jillion other things to do in the summertime in Houston." The team sold fewer than half of the 4,500 available tickets for a match that featuredAnna Kournikova playing for the visitors. Late in the 2007 season, attendance at Wranglers' home matches was typically less than 1,000.[3]
TheWashington Kastles joined the league as an expansionfranchise, making their debut in 2008. The team was founded by a group led by venture capitalist and entrepreneurMark Ein, a native of Washington, D.C. At the press conference announcing the team's creation, Ein said, "I am thrilled to bring World TeamTennis to our area. WTT tennis is great entertainment emphasizing fan interaction, and it is the only major sport with men and women playing together on the same team. The Washington Kastles season will be an exciting summertime addition to our local economy and a fun activity for our entire community." The team was named after Kastle Systems, LLC, a provider of building and office security systems, of which Ein is the majority owner and managing member.[4]
The 2008 WTTMarquee PlayerDraft was conducted in New York City on March 19, 2008. The order in which teams selected was based on the results the teams achieved in 2007 with weaker teams selecting earlier and stronger teams selecting later. The draft order is ordinarily determined as follows:
Expansion teams select in the middle of each round. If there is an even number of teams, an expansion team selects in the middle position that is closest to the first pick. There were seven nonplayoff teams in 2007, and ranked from worst record to best record, they were
However, the Wranglers folded prior to the draft. Therefore, the Breakers, Aces, Lobsters, Sportimes, Smash and Explorers were assigned the preliminary first through sixth draft positions. ThePhiladelphia Freedoms lost the 2007 Eastern Conference Championship Match and had a worse record than theSpringfield Lasers, who lost the Western Conference Championship Match. Therefore, the Freedoms were assigned the preliminary seventh draft position and the Lasers the eighth. TheNew York Buzz lost the 2007 WTT Final and were assigned the preliminary ninth draft position. The 2007 WTT championSacramento Capitals were assigned the preliminary tenth draft position. The addition of the expansionWashington Kastles resulted in 11 teams in the league, and the Kastles were assigned the sixth draft position putting them in the middle with five teams drafting before them, and five teams drafting after them. This resulted in the Explorers, Freedoms, Lasers, Buzz and Capitals each moving down one position.
Teams could protect up to two marqueeplayers or doubles teams to which they held the rights from the previous season or acquired in a trade. Rights to marquee players could be traded from one team to another before or during the draft, and the acquiring team could protect and then select those players. The selections made[5] are shown in the tables below.
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The 2008 WTT Roster Player Draft was conducted inMiami on April 1, 2008. Teams selected in the same order as was determined for the Marquee Player Draft. Teams could protect up to four players to which they held the rights from the previous season or acquired in a trade. Rights to roster players could be traded from one team to another before or during the draft, and the acquiring team could protect and then select those players. In addition, the rights to make a selection in a particular position within the draft could be traded from one team to another. The selections made[6] are shown in the tables below.
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Notes:
WTT conducted its 2008 Roster-Exempt Player Draft on the same day as its Roster Player Draft. Teams drafted in the same order as in the Marquee Player Draft and the Roster Player Draft. Teams were permitted to select part-time players classified by the league as either roster-exempt based on their recent appearances in international team events or featured roster players based on WTT's discretion. The selections made[6] are shown in the table below.
| No. | Team | Player chosen | Prot? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport Beach Breakers | Pass | – | |
| 2 | St. Louis Aces | Pass | – | |
| 3 | Boston Lobsters | Pass | – | |
| 4 | New York Sportimes | Pass | – | |
| 5 | Delaware Smash | Liezel Huber | Y | |
| 6 | Washington Kastles | Pass | – | |
| 7 | Kansas City Explorers | Pass | – | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Freedoms | Pass | – | |
| 9 | Springfield Lasers | Pass | – | |
| 10 | New York Buzz | Pass | – | |
| 11 | Sacramento Capitals |  Dmitry Tursunov | N | Featured roster player |
Reference:[26]
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||
| Pos | Team | MP | W | L | PCT | MB | ||
| 1 | New York Buzz | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 0 | ||
| 2 | New York Sportimes | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Boston Lobsters | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Philadelphia Freedoms | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 3 | ||
| 5 | Washington Kastles | 14 | 6 | 8 | .429 | 4 | ||
| 6 | Delaware Smash | 14 | 3 | 11 | .214 | 7 | ||
| New York Buzz and New York Sportimes split their head-to-head meetings during the regular season, 1 match each. Buzz wins the tiebreaker on games won in head-to-head meetings, 43–33. |
| Boston and Philadelphia split their head-to-head meetings during the regular season, 1 match each. Boston wins the tiebreaker on games won in head-to-head meetings, 44–37. |
| Western Conference | ||||||||
| Pos | Team | MP | W | L | PCT | MB | ||
| 1 | Kansas City Explorers | 14 | 13 | 1 | .929 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Sacramento Capitals | 14 | 8 | 6 | .571 | 5 | ||
| 3 | Springfield Lasers | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | 8 | ||
| 4 | Newport Beach Breakers | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | 8 | ||
| 5 | St. Louis Aces | 14 | 3 | 11 | .214 | 10 | ||
| Newport Beach and Springfield split their head-to-head meetings during the regular season, 1 match each. In those two head-to-head matches, the teams won 37 games each. Newport Beach played 11 matches against common opponents and won 205 games in those matches. Springfield played 9 matches against common opponents and won 165 games in those matches. Under WTT Rule 117, the number of games won in Newport Beach's two matches that were closest to and exceeding its average number of games won in matches with common opponents of 18.6 were disregarded. This eliminated 20 games won from one match and 21 from another, resulting in an adjusted number of games won in matches against common opponents of 164. Springfield wins the tiebreaker on games won in matches against common opponents, 165–164. |
| Delaware won its only head-to-head meeting during the regular season with St. Louis and wins the tiebreaker in the overall standings. |
| Qualified for 2008 WTT Playoffs |
| Abbreviation and Color Key: Boston Lobsters – BOS •Delaware Smash – DEL •Kansas City Explorers – KAN •New York Buzz – NYB New York Sportimes – NYS •Newport Beach Breakers – NPB •Philadelphia Freedoms – PHI Sacramento Capitals – SAC •Springfield Lasers – SPR •St. Louis Aces – STL •Washington Kastles – WAS Win • Loss • Home • Away | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Match | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
| Boston Lobsters | NYS | NYB | DEL | WAS | PHI | NYB | NYS | KAN | SPR | PHI | WAS | NPB | NPB | SAC |
| 18–19 | 16–23 | 23–19 (OT) | 22–19 (OT) | 21–22 (STB, 6–7) | 19–20 (STB, 4–7) | 23–17 | 17–22 | 23–19 (OT) | 23–15 | 23–14 (OT) | 18–21 (OT) | 18–16 (OT) | 13–21 | |
| Delaware Smash | NYB | STL | WAS | BOS | PHI | PHI | NYS | SPR | SPR | KAN | SAC | PHI | WAS | NYB |
| 16–24 | 21–20 | 19–21 (OT) | 19–23 (OT) | 15–25 (OT) | 17–19 | 17–22 (OT) | 20–19 (STB, 7–6) | 21–23 | 20–22 (OT) | 18–20 (OT) | 12–23 | 20–16 | 9–25 | |
| Kansas City Explorers | SAC | NPB | SPR | SAC | STL | STL | BOS | NYB | PHI | DEL | WAS | STL | SPR | NPB |
| 22–21 | 20–18 (OT) | 24–19 (OT) | 25–15 | 22–18 | 25–17 (OT) | 22–17 | 17–23 | 23–18 (OT) | 22–20 (OT) | 24–13 | 20–19 (STB, 7–6) | 23–16 | 23–16 | |
| New York Buzz | DEL | STL | BOS | NYS | WAS | WAS | BOS | PHI | KAN | SAC | PHI | NYS | STL | DEL |
| 24–16 | 23–18 | 23–16 | 20–22 (OT) | 22–21 (STB, 7–4) | 21–22 (STB, 4–7) | 20–19 (STB, 7–4) | 18–22 (OT) | 23–17 | 23–20 (OT) | 15–25 | 23–11 | 25–13 | 25–9 | |
| New York Sportimes | BOS | PHI | NYB | WAS | DEL | PHI | BOS | PHI | WAS | SPR | NPB | NYB | NPB | SAC |
| 19–18 | 21–18 (OT) | 22–20 (OT) | 21–20 | 22–17 (OT) | 19–18 (STB, 7–5) | 17–23 | 21–15 | 17–18 (STB, 5–7) | 24–19 (OT) | 22–14 | 11–23 | 17–15 (OT) | 19–20 | |
| Newport Beach Breakers | SAC | KAN | SPR | STL | SPR | SAC | WAS | SAC | STL | NYS | BOS | BOS | NYS | KAN |
| 21–16 (OT) | 18–20 (OT) | 18–22 | 18–22 (OT) | 19–15 | 20–21 (STB, 3–7) | 16–18 | 23–16 | 23–14 | 14–22 | 21–18 (OT) | 16–18 (OT) | 15–17 (OT) | 16–23 | |
| Philadelphia Freedoms | WAS | SPR | NYS | DEL | DEL | BOS | NYS | NYB | NYS | KAN | BOS | NYB | WAS | DEL |
| 19–23 (OT) | 22–23 (STB, 2–7) | 18–21 (OT) | 25–15 (OT) | 19–17 | 22–21 (STB, 7–6) | 18–19 (STB, 5–7) | 22–18 (OT) | 15–21 | 18–23 (OT) | 15–23 | 25–15 | 23–19 (OT) | 23–12 | |
| Sacramento Capitals | NPB | KAN | STL | SPR | KAN | SPR | NPB | NPB | STL | WAS | NYB | DEL | BOS | NYS |
| 16–21 (OT) | 21–22 | 22–21 | 19–22 | 15–25 | 18–14 | 21–20 (STB, 7–3) | 16–23 | 25–12 | 20–15 | 20–23 (OT) | 20–18 (OT) | 21–13 | 20–19 | |
| Springfield Lasers | STL | PHI | KAN | NPB | SAC | NPB | SAC | DEL | DEL | BOS | NYS | STL | STL | KAN |
| 23–21 (OT) | 23–22 (STB, 7–2) | 19–24 (OT) | 22–18 | 22–19 | 15–19 | 14–18 | 19–20 (STB, 6–7) | 23–21 | 19–23 (OT) | 19–24 (OT) | 23–24 (STB, 5–7) | 10–25 | 16–23 | |
| St. Louis Aces | SPR | DEL | NYB | SAC | NPB | KAN | KAN | SAC | NPB | SPR | SPR | KAN | NYB | WAS |
| 21–23 (OT) | 20–21 | 18–23 | 21–22 | 22–18 (OT) | 18–22 | 17–25 (OT) | 12–25 | 14–23 | 24–23 (STB, 7–5) | 25–10 | 19–20 (STB, 6–7) | 13–25 | 17–22 (OT) | |
| Washington Kastles | PHI | DEL | BOS | NYB | NYS | NYB | NPB | NYS | SAC | BOS | KAN | PHI | DEL | STL |
| 23–19 (OT) | 21–19 (OT) | 19–22 (OT) | 21–22 (STB, 4–7) | 20–21 | 22–21 (STB, 7–4) | 18–16 | 18–17 (STB, 7–5) | 15–20 | 14–23 (OT) | 13–24 | 19–23 (OT) | 16–20 | 22–17 (OT) | |
| Wild Card Match (July 24) | Semifinals (July 25–26) | WTT Final (July 27) | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Explorers | 21 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Sacramento Capitals | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Sacramento Capitals | 22 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Boston Lobsters | 15 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Explorers | 18 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Buzz | 21 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Buzz | 25* | ||||||||||||
| 3 | New York Sportimes | 17 | ||||||||||||
*Indicates match went to overtime
All playoff matches were played as part of WTT Championship Weekend atAllstate Stadium at Westfield Galleria at Roseville inRoseville, California. Higher seeded teams (shown in CAPS below) were treated as "home" teams and had the right to determine the order of play.
July 24:#4SACRAMENTO CAPITALS 22, #5Boston Lobsters 15[22]
July 25:#1KANSAS CITY EXPLORERS 21, #4Sacramento Capitals 10[23]
July 26:#2NEW YORK BUZZ 25, #3New York Sportimes 17 (overtime)[24]
July 27:#2New York Buzz 21, #1KANSAS CITY EXPLORERS 18[25]
| Award | Recipient | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Female Most Valuable Player | Rennae Stubbs | Kansas City Explorers |
| Male Most Valuable Player | Ramón Delgado | Newport Beach Breakers |
| Female Rookie of the Year | Yaroslava Shvedova | New York Buzz |
| Male Rookie of the Year | Travis Parrott | Philadelphia Freedoms |
| Coach of the Year | Brent Haygarth | Kansas City Explorers |
| WTT Championship Most Valuable Player | Rennae Stubbs | Kansas City Explorers |
There were seven WTT regular-season matchestelecast nationally on theTennis Channel. These matches all featured marquee players and were recorded andpremiered between two and eight days after they were played. The WTT Final was telecastlive onVersus. It was the first live telecast of the WTT Final since 2004. Select matches shown on the Tennis Channel were also rebroadcast byregional sports networks.[28]
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