The San Diego Aviators will head to Breakers Stadium at the Newport Beach Tennis Club Monday night, seeking their second victory in two nights over the Orange County Breakers.
The Aviators opened their third World TeamTennis season Sunday night with a 20-19 victory at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, capturing the match by winning a final-set tiebreaker.
The Aviators mixed doubles team of Darija Jurak and Raven Klaasen defeated Ally Kudryavtseva and Scott Lipsky, 5-2, in the tiebreaker, for a 5-4 victory in the set.
The Aviators won all three doubles sets after losing the men’s singles and women’s singles sets to begin the match.
James Blake and Klassen teamed for a 5-2 victory over Lipsky and Dennis Novikov, cutting the deficit to 12-10 at the intermission. Jurak and Shelby Rogers were 5-3 winners over Nicole Gibbs and Kudryavtseva in women’s doubles, tying the score, 15-15.
The 36-year-old Blake, the world’s No. 4-ranked men’s singles player in 2006, opened the match by losing to Novikov, 5-3. Blake is the Aviators’ marquee player, a top name who plays less than a full season. He is not scheduled to play for the Aviators again this season.
Rogers lost to Gibbs, 5-2, in women’s singles. Rogers reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, losing to eventual champion Garbine Muguruza, 7-5, 6-3, on June 1.
Sunday’s match was the first of four between the two teams in a four-day span. The Aviators and Breakers will also play at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Tuesday and at Breakers Stadium Wednesday.
World TeamTennis matches consist of one set each of men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, with the team winning the most games winning the match.
—City News Service
