Breakers open season tonight

Rick Devereux

Fresh off winning the Wimbledon singles title, Maria Sharapova will

now make her way to Newport Beach to compete for the Breakers of

World Team Tennis.

“She played with us last year and she’s such a sweetheart and such

a nice young lady,” second-year coach Dick Leach said. “This has been

her break-out year. She’s much prettier than Anna [Kournikova] and 10

times the player. I predict she’ll be No. 1 in the future.”

Leach will return as the main man on the sideline for the

Breakers, who’s season opens tonight at 7:30 at Palisades Tennis Club

against the Springfield Lasers. Sharapova is the lone returner for

Leach and the Breakers, who finished 7-7 last year.

“We have a whole new team,” Leach said. “I’m looking forward to

beating up on teams that beat up on us last year.”

Sharapova will play two home matches for the Breakers -- on July

14 against the Sacramento Capitals and July 17 against the Kansas

City Explorers.

The first selection by the Breakers in the April 7 draft was the

doubles tandem of Mike and Bob Bryan. The Bryan Brothers, who will

play two home and two away matches, are currently the top doubles

team in the ATP and were No. 3 in 2003 and 2002.

Leach said he is excited about having the Bryan Brothers on the

team because the two families have been close for years.

“With the Bryan Brothers as our doubles team, it will be like

having my own sons on the team,” Leach said.

Leah is also excited about having Ramon Delgado from Paraguay on

the team.

“Delgado played on the Davis Cup team for Paraguay and he is a

great tennis player,” Leach said. “He knows how to handle pressure

and will help us win some matches.”

Another player Leach is happy to have is Aniko Kapros. The

Hungarian reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2004 and

is the No. 49 singles player in the WTA.

“She played for Kansas City last year and beat Sharapova,” Leach

said. “So she’s going to contribute.”

Ellis Ferreira will also be looked upon to contribute for the

Breakers in doubles. He won the Australian Open in 2000 and was the

runner-up in the U.S. Open in 2000, both with Leach’s son, Rick

Leach.

“I know Ferreira very well,” Leach said. “That will be real

positive.”

Nana Miyagi was the World Team Tennis Female Rookie of the Year in

1998 and has won 10 WTA doubles titles.

“Miyagi has been in the top 20 in the world in doubles,” Leach

said. “I’m really lucky that I’ve got such good people to be with on

this team.”

Leach said he still isn’t sure what the team’s strengths and

weaknesses are, but he does know he likes the team-play format.

“I’ve liked this format from the get-go,” he said. “You get to see

a winner each night, unlike in a tournament, where you would have to

go a couple days in a row. Plus, here you can make noise. It’s rock

‘n’ roll tennis. It’s a great atmosphere. If a person wants to get

their kids into tennis, this is the place to do it because it’s so

much fun. It’s real fan-friendly, and that’s the way it should be.”

A look at the Breakers players:

Maria Sharapova

Residence: Bradenton, Fla

Age: 17

Birthplace: Nyagan Russia (Siberian region)

Note: Prior to Wimbledon win, she was ranked No. 15 in the world

on the WTA tour. She has won WTA events in Tokyo, Quebec City and

Wimbledon.

Bob Bryan

Residence: Camarillo, Calif.

Age: 26

Birthplace: Camarillo, Calif

Mike Bryan

Residence: Camarillo, Calif.

Age: 26

Birthplace: Camarillo, Calif.

Note: Bob and Mike teamed to become the first brother duo to

finish No. 1 in the ATP team race with five doubles titles in eight

finals. Their doubles record this year is 24-4, including ATP doubles

titles in Acapulco, Adelaide, and Memphis. Together, they reached the

finals of the Australian Open and the semifinals in Miami.

Aniko Kapros

Residence: Budapest, Hungary

Age: 20

Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary

Note: Kapros is currently ranked No. 48 in the world by the WTA.

In 2004, she has defeated such players as Tina Pisnik and Nadia

Petrova. Her greatest win, however, came over Justine Henin-hardenne

in 2002.

Ellis Ferreira

Residence: Atlanta, GA

Age: 34

Birthplace: Pretoria, South Africa

Note: In 1995, Ferreira captured his first career ATP doubles

title in Vienna, defeating the number one ranked doubles team on the

ATP tour.

Nana Miyagi

Residence: Okinawa, Japan

Age: 33

Birthplace: Seattle, Wash.

Note: Miyagi has won 10 WTA Tour doubles titles, with her career

high doubles ranking of No. 12 in 1997.

Ramon Delgado

Residence: Asuncion, Paraguay

Age: 27

Birthplace: Asuncion, Paraguay

Note: In 2002, Delgado was Paraguay’s No. 1 player and finished in

the top 100 in the ATP Championships Race.