Delgado, Pastikova return to Breakers for ’08 season

Ramon Delgado and Michaela Pastikova will return to the Newport Beach Breakers for the 2008 World Team Tennis season, joined by newcomers Angelika Bachmann and Bruno Echagaray.

They will join the Breakers’ new marquee player, Lindsay Davenport, who will play her only home match at Newport Beach Country Club on July 10.

“We’re excited to have drafted a great roster of talent for this season,” Breakers Coach Trevor Kronemann said in a release. “Ramon has consistently been one of if not the best players in the league and will be the cornerstone of our team again. Angelika Bachmann brings a great amount of talent and a diverse game, having had success in both singles and doubles during the last couple years. Bruno Echagaray plays some doubles with Ramon and obviously that will be a tremendous advantage to have that kind of chemistry on our team. Finally, Michaela Pastikova has been playing tremendous doubles tennis during the last few months, having won several events in Europe, and is going to team very well with Angelika.”

Delgado, a fan favorite from Paraguay, is a veteran of the ATP Tour and a five-year veteran of the Breakers, helping them capture the WTT title in 2004. Delgado, 31, is a longtime member of Paraguay’s Davis Cup team. He has his own cheering section at Breakers matches, “The Desperate Housewives for Ramon Delgado.”

Pastikova, 28, owns one WTA Tour doubles title. From the Czech Republic, she was ranked as high as No. 35 in doubles in 2005.

Bachmann, also 28 and from Germany, owns two ITF career singles titles and seven doubles titles, including two in 2007. Her highest career singles ranking was No. 130 in 2000 and her best doubles ranking was No. 90 that same year.

Echagaray, 24, from Mexico City, is a member of Mexico’s Davis Cup team. He won the Furth, Germany Challenger circuit doubles title in 2007 and he owns several doubles titles from tournaments in Mexico and the United States on the Futures circuit.

The four regulars will join with Davenport, 31, to try to help the Breakers improve on their 3-11 record from a year ago. Davenport, in her second stint with the Breakers, is also scheduled to play an away match at Sacramento on July 12.

The Breakers, whose proceeds benefit Hoag Hospital, have their home opener against Kansas City on July 5. Tickets are now on sale.

For more information, visit www.newportbeachbreakers.com or call (714) 352-6301.

— From staff reports