SAN DIEGO AVIATORS UNVEIL NEW LINEUP FOR 2019
WORLD TEAM TENNIS SEASON AT LA COSTA RESORT & SPA San Diego’s Regular Season Scheduled for July 14 – 31, 2019 in Carlsbad, Calif.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – (March 12, 2019) – The San Diego Aviators will return this summer for their sixth World TeamTennis season and fifth-straight at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.
During the annual WTT Player Draft on Tuesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Aviators selected Christian Harrison, Astra Sharma and Jonny O’Mara to complete their 2019 roster for Coach John Lloyd, who is returning to lead the Aviators for the fifth straight year.
The Aviators also retained WTT veteran Anna-Lena Groenefeld who led the Aviators to a 7-7 record and a fourth-place finish in 2018.
“With the players we drafted today in Indian Wells and the return of Groenefeld, it’s going to be a very exciting World TeamTennis season this summer in Carlsbad,” said new Aviators General Manager Cari Buck, who brings over 25 years of experience in the tennis industry to the Aviators.
“Doubles will definitely be our team strength this season and that will help the Aviators since the WTT format includes doubles and mixed doubles in addition to singles,” Buck added. “We are looking to make a strong run to bring the WTT King Trophy back to San Diego.”
Groenefeld, a 33-year-old resident of Hannover, Germany, is ranked No. 29 in the WTA doubles rankings. She has won 16 career WTA doubles titles as well as one WTA singles title. She has represented Germany in Fed Cup and the Olympics and captured Mixed Doubles titles at the French Open in 2014 and Wimbledon in 2009.
The 24-year-old Harrison is a native of Shreveport, La., and a resident of Bradenton, Fla. He is currently ranked No. 258 in the ATP singles rankings after reaching a career-high No. 198 in 2018. Harrison reached the US Open doubles quarterfinals in 2012 with older brother Ryan Harrison, an ATP professional and former WTT Male MVP who played for the Aviators in 2016.
Sharma, ranked No. 163 in the WTA singles rankings, is a 23-year-old native of Singapore who lives in Perth, Australia. She was a Mixed Doubles finalist at this year’s Australian Open. In 2017, Sharma was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and an All-American in singles and doubles at Vanderbilt University, where she played collegiate tennis for four years.
O’Mara, a doubles specialist, is currently ranked a career-high No. 50 in the ATP doubles rankings. The 24-year-old from Arbroath, Scotland, has captured two career ATP doubles titles, winning tournaments in Stockholm, Sweden and Eastbourne, Great Britain last year.
The Vegas Rollers and Orlando Storm, both expansion franchises, have joined World TeamTennis this season. The Storm will play at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla. and the Rollers will make their home at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The 2019 WTT regular season, which features eight teams, will run July 14-31. The top four teams will advance to the WTT playoffs, which will be held in Las Vegas (at the Orleans Arena), beginning with the league’s semifinals on Aug. 2 and conclude with the WTT Finals on Aug. 3.
Season Tickets for the San Diego Aviators 2019 World TeamTennis campaign are now on sale. All season ticket packages, which start as low as $28 per match, include:
• Tickets for all Seven Home Matches
• Discount on Aviators Merchandise
• Exclusive invitation to a Meet and Greet Party with Aviators Players
• All ticketing fees waived
• For a limited time, Season Parking is included with season ticket purchases ($70 value)
About the San Diego Aviators Owned by local residents Fred Luddy and Jack McGrory, the Aviators return for their sixth World TeamTennis season. For the fifth consecutive year, the Aviators will make their home on center court at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Last year the Aviators had local greats Taylor Fritz and Coco Vandeweghe play for them and finished the season in 4th place. Coached by British former professional tennis player, John Lloyd, the team won the WTT championship in 2016 defeating the Orange County Breakers in the WTT Finals. Lloyd will be returning as coach again this season in hopes of bringing the King Trophy back to San Diego. The Aviators will start the season on the road playing the NY Empire on July 14. Their first home match will be Friday, July 19 against the just announced franchise expansion team, the Las Vegas Rollers. For additional information visit www.sandiegoaviators.com.
About World TeamTennis World TeamTennis (WTT) showcases the best in professional tennis with the innovative team format co-founded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s. Recognized as the leader in professional team tennis competition, WTT features many of the world’s best players competing annually for the King Trophy, the league’s championship trophy named after King. In 2018, each of WTT’s teams incorporated select tennis stars from the ATP and WTA tours – including Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens and twins Bob and Mike Bryan. WTT recently announced two expansion teams, the Orlando Storm and the Las Vegas Rollers, for a total of eight teams to play in the upcoming 44th season, which begins July 14 and concludes with the WTT Finals on August 3rd. For more information, visit www.WTT.com. To watch World TeamTennis action this summer, visit www.WTT.tv. ###
