:Breakers’ victory is decisive

NEWPORT BEACH ? The Newport Beach Breakers’ victory over Houston was decisive, clinched early in the fifth set. Underneath the jubilant exterior of the match’s result was a trend that kept the fate of Tuesday’s match at Palisades Tennis Club from being sealed earlier.

Multiple-game leads disappeared either fully or partially with regularity, a problem in World Team Tennis which counts games won, not sets won.

Anastassia Rodionova’s women’s singles set, the fourth of the night, was no exception, but the Russian pulled out a late surge for her first singles victory of the season and Ramon Delgado clinched the match in men’s singles for a 23-16 triumph.

“[Winning the set] would make a huge difference for the team,” Rodionova said. “So Ramon doesn’t have as much pressure.”

The seven-point margin was easily the largest for the Breakers (2-2) this season.

The Houston Wranglers began the game without their No. 2 men’s player, Johan Landsberg. The Swede had been refused entry into the country a day before the season was to start and instead, Jan-Michael Gambill’s brother Torrey played.

Rick Leach made it back into the country, returning Saturday after reaching the semifinals of the 35-and-older men’s doubles tournament at Wimbledon. He played his first match for the Breakers, winning in mixed and men’s doubles.

“It’s taking me a little bit to get accustomed to the surface,” Leach said of the hard court as opposed to Wimbledon’s grass surface. “I’ve been waking up at three every morning. I’m happy to be back.”

Leach weathered the jet lag retained his form in mixed doubles with Tina Krizan. The duo only dropped three points in winning the first four games. But as it would be the case the entire night, the Breakers early lead was trimmed, this time cut to 4-3 before two Houston double faults and two unforced errors gave Newport Beach a 5-3 win.

“I thought we could have won a little easier,” Leach said. “If you win a set 5-0 you probably win that match. With this type of scoring you have to try to win as many games as you can.”

In women’s doubles, Houston won the set, 5-3, to tie the overall score, 8-8.

Delgado and Leach were on the verge of breaking through in men’s doubles and giving the Breakers a commanding lead, something the team had not seen all season, after jumping ahead 4-1. That was quickly diced up as well. A 5-3 victory left the Breakers with a less than comfortable 13-11 overall lead.

Rodionova held a 4-1 lead in women’s singles as well as double set point, but it vanished with two unforced errors and soon it was Ashsha Rolle who held a double break point with a chance to send the set to a tiebreaker. But Rodionova slapped a winner down the line and added an ace on her second serve to take the set, 5-3, and give the Breakers their first comfortable lead of the season, 18-14.

“It was big for Anastassia,” Breakers’ Coach Dick Leach said. “Tonight was a tough night because we had big leads in a couple matches. Every point is so important.”

Delgado clinched the match, taking two straight singles games against Gambill before winning the set, 5-2.dpt-breakers.BGraphicInfoEP1SRGTR20060712EP1SRGTR(LA)dpt.12-breakers-2-kt-BPhotoInfoJ51SRO2E20060712j29wfenc(LA)Rick Leach of the Newport Beach Breakers watches his shot clear the net during Tuesday’s World Team Tennis match against the Houston Wranglers.dpt.12-breakers-1-kt-BPhotoInfoJ51SRO2G20060712j29welncPHOTOS BY KENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Anastassia Rodionova of the Newport Beach Breakers hits a backhand return during Tuesday evening’s match.