Breakers play their wild card

It’s not exactly the way the Newport Beach Breakers wanted to enter the World Team Tennis playoffs.

But here they are.

The Breakers finished fifth in the Western Conference, which previously would have left them out of the postseason that has, until this year, included only the top two teams from each conference.

But before the season started, Newport Beach was guaranteed at least a wild-card berth by virtue of playing host to the playoffs at the Palisades Tennis Club.

After finishing the regular season 6-8, the Breakers are forced to take advantage of the newly created rule.

They meet the Philadelphia Freedoms tonight at 7 in the wild-card match. The winner advances to Saturday’s semifinals.

The Freedoms (8-6) earned the No. 4 seed by defeating the Hartford FoxForce on Wednesday, combined with Delaware’s loss at Sacramento.

In the only match between the teams this season, Philadelphia defeated Newport Beach, 23-16, in Philadelphia. The Freedoms swept the Breakers in doubles to overcome Pete Sampras’ 5-3 men’s singles victory over Jaymon Crabb.

Philadelphia’s Lisa Raymond defeated Anastassia Rodionova, 5-2, in women’s singles. Rodionova, who has played in 109 games this season, more than any other WTT player, will most likely get a shot at revenge against Raymond tonight.

The Breakers have struggled this season, due in part to the occasional absence of Ramon Delgado and the rustiness of Sampras.

Sampras is 21-29 in singles games this season in seven matches, in which he is 2-5. He was noticeably rusty after not playing competitive tennis since his retirement from the ATP after winning the 2002 U.S. Open over rival Andre Agassi.

But Breakers Coach Dick Leach said Sampras has shown improvement, which gives Newport Beach a fighting chance in the postseason.

Another reason for optimism is Delgado, who is 30-18 and boasts the best winning percentage in the league at .625.

Delgado beat John McEnroe in a super-tiebreaker to clinch the Breakers’ victory over the New York Sportimes on Tuesday night.

“Delgado came through for us again,” Leach said. “That was no easy feat. It’s amazing that McEnroe, at his age, can play so well.”

Delgado missed two matches with a foot injury and a handful of others to make room for Sampras. But Delgado is back healthy and slated to participate in the playoffs, according to Leach.

League rules allow a third player of the same gender to compete in the playoffs.

“This guy’s got some pop to his game,” McEnroe said after playing Delgado.

Delgado was the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 WTT finals, when the Breakers beat the Delaware Smash to claim the franchises only title.

The Breakers broke a four-match losing streak with a 20-19 win at Houston on Monday.

Rodionova won, 5-2, over Ahsha Rolle in women’s singles, then teamed with Tina Krizan for a 5-3 doubles triumph.

Sampras dropped his men’s singles set, 5-3, to Jan-Michael Gambill, but won in men’s doubles, 5-4. It was Newport Beach’s first victory in seven matches with Sampras in the lineup.

Sampras won 14 Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career, including seven Wimbledon singles titles.

After defeating the Sportimes on Tuesday, the Breakers roll into the playoffs with a modest two-match win streak.

The Breakers look to return to the WTT final for the third consecutive season. Before the season started, Leach said he’d be disappointed if the Breakers didn’t win the whole thing.