Sour note to season finale

Rick Devereux

“In summer, when the days are long, perhaps you’ll understand the

song.”

The words of Lewis Carrol in his book, “Through the Looking

Glass,” could very well be applied to fans of the Newport Beach

Breakers.

The host Breakers looked lethargic and worn down in their 22-13

loss to the Sacramento Capitals to conclude World Team Tennis’

regular season at Palisades Tennis Club Sunday.

“I think everyone was tired,” Katerina Bondarenko said. “It is

tough to play this [WTT] season, because you basically have a match

everyday.”

The Breakers (9-5) secured a playoff spot Saturday night when they

defeated St. Louis, 22-16, but the Capitals (11-3) showed why they

have the best record in WTT.

Ramon Delgado and Devin Bowen played well in men’s doubles, but

Wesley Moodie and Sam Warburg played better, coming back from 2-0

holes in two different games en route to a 5-1 victory.

“I felt good out there, but I give [Moodie and Warburg] a lot of

credit,” Bowen said. “They played really well.”

Bondarenko, who looked like the only Newport player in top form,

used powerful serves and hustle to defeat Nicole Vaidisova, 5-2, in

women’s singles.

Bondarenko, who was the world’s No. 1 junior tennis player last

year, registered six service aces in the set and earned arguably the

point of the match when she charged the net and smacked a backhand

shot down the line to win the fifth game and take a 3-2 lead in the

set.

Delgado and Anastassia Rodionova won three of the eight games they

played in mixed doubles against Warburg and Elena Likhovtseva, but

the real concern in the set occurred in the sixth game when Rodionova

twisted her right ankle after chasing down a shot on the backline.

After a brief consultation with the medical staff, Rodionova returned

to the court. In fact, she smashed home a winner on the first point

after her injury.

After the match, Rodionova said her ankle was “good.”

While her ankle might have healed, Rodionova’s luck didn’t change.

She and Bonderanko lost to Likhovtseva and Vaidisova, 5-2, in

women’s doubles and gave reigning WTT finals MVP Delgado a 17-11 hole

to dig out of in men’s singles, the final set of the match.

Delgado, who finished the season with the best record in men’s

singles play (60-34), has been able to carry the Breakes on his back

in the last set of matches before, but Sunday’s obstacle was too big.

Delgado, known for a blistering serve, was on the defensive

against Moodie, who registered eight service aces in his 5-2 victory.

Delgado finished with seven service aces, including all four

points in the third game of the set.

As for the players being tired after a long season, Bowen isn’t

buying it.

“I wish that was the case [that we were just tired],” he said.

“But it’s the end of the season for [Sacramento], too.”

The Breakers and Capitals split the season series, 2-2, each

winning one home and one away match. The two meet again in the

Western Conference finals, Sept. 15 in Sacramento. The winner

advances to the final Sept 16 against the Eastern Conference

champion.

Newport entered the postseason last year as the second-place team

in the Western Conference, but managed to defeat the Capitals, 20-12,

in the playoffs. The Breakers then went on to upend the Delaware

Smash, 23-17, in the finals to claim the team’s first WTT title.